Kissed by the Spirit

“On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” 

Genesis 22:4-7 (NIV)

The sacrifice of Isaac by his father, Abraham, is one of the most prophetic images concealed in scripture. Isaac carried the wood for sacrifice in obedience to his father and Jesus carried the wood of His cross, in obedience to His father. Isaac walked up Mount Moriah, unknowingly becoming the sacrifice, and Jesus walked up Golgotha, offering Himself as the final sacrifice for the world.

Isaac had full confidence in his father, expecting no harm to come to him, knowing his father loved him, and had his best interests at heart. Abraham could only do what he did, as a father, having total confidence in God to intervene if necessary. It’s what makes Abraham the patriarch of all Faiths. He had faith in the perfect goodness and love of God, his Heavenly Father.

I’m fascinated by two facts that I previously overlooked when reading this story. The words of Abraham to his servants reveal two very important truths:

Abraham told them, “Stay here with the donkey, while the boy and I go on over there. We will worship and then come back to you.” 

Abraham told the servants that he and his boy will “come back”, even though he knew he was going to sacrifice Isaac. Abraham’s words imply that he believed God could and would intervene or raise his boy from the dead, if necessary. 

Abraham served a God who he knew was good and righteous, and can restore life. We all know how the story ends, that an angel was sent in time to stop Abraham from going through with the sacrifice. 

The other truth revealed in Abraham’s words, is that sacrifice is a form of worship. He told his servants he was going up to the mountain to “worship” God, knowing full well that he was going there to sacrifice His son. For Abraham, sacrificing something or someone he loved is equivalent to worship. Lent is a period to remind us that whatever we sacrifice, give or do extra during these forty days is not for the mere purpose of self denial, but to demonstrate our love and worship to God. 

If worship only meant singing songs in church or reciting nice words of praise to God, we would forget the great cost of sacrifice that Jesus paid for us, and what sacrifice really means. This story reminds us that worship can be given in many forms of sacrifice. 

Abraham walked an uphill stride of Mount Moriah alone, leaving his servants behind. Sometimes we go through trials that feel like we’re on an uphill tread, while no one else can walk with us, except God. There are sacrifices that we make by choice, and others that are made by fate, which we have no control over, but Abraham shows us that giving more of ourselves to God is the spirit of worship. 

Paul explained this to the Roman church saying, “I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” (Romans 12:1)

Mount Moriah is geographically in close proximity to the hill of Golgotha where Jesus was crucified. Moriah with Abraham foreshadows God’s plan of salvation coming through Jesus, later at the cross.

Abraham left his servants behind as he walked up Mount Moriah alone with Isaac. Jesus walked up the hill of Golgotha alone, and none of His disciples could go with him. Abraham believed God would come through, and that’s why he told his servants that he and Isaac would be back. Jesus similarly told His disciples that He would come back, rising from the dead on the third day. 

Young Isaac, Abraham and Jesus all had one common attitude that we can all live by, 

“What could go wrong with a Father who loves me so much?”

God, our Heavenly Father, loves us just as much and He wants the best for us. We can walk up our Mount Moriah with Jesus beside us, with hearts full of faith, worshipping our good God.

We shouldn’t assume that sacrifices and suffering are punishments, nor do we need instant deliverance from every problem, because Abraham shows us that sacrifices offered to God have always been the highest spiritual form of worship.

Lord, we offer up any losses or sacrifices that we have gone through as our spiritual service of worship to you, knowing nothing can go wrong with a good Father who loves us so much. Amen

“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken, nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you.”

Isaiah 54:10 (NIV)

Three years ago when my son  had a motorcycle accident and was in a coma, I went to the bank to drop off guardianship papers. I was explaining the accident and his current condition to the bank clerk as she added me to his account as his legal guardian.

Afterwards when I exited the bank, a little elderly lady followed me out and stopped me to say she couldn’t help but overhear about my son’s accident. Then she asked me what his name is so that she could pray for him every day. I was surprised but touched by her compassion for a stranger. I told her Jon’s name, thanked her for her prayers, then we parted, and I never saw her again. 

I make very few trips to the lobby of that bank, since most of the banking is done on line. This week I needed to go into the bank lobby for a certain transaction. The bank clerk knows me and she asked how my son was doing. After I updated her, she told me that a certain bank customer still inquires about Jon, whenever she comes to the bank. It has to be the same lady that approached me three years ago. I was so surprised to hear that she is still praying for him all this time. 

I told the bank clerk to let the lady know that I really appreciate her prayers and that Jon is awake, walking, feeding himself, though not talking much, but has come a long way from being comatose, when she first heard about him. 

What kind of dedicated prayer warrior prays diligently for three years for someone she has never met? I remember the day that the lady approached me to ask his name. For a moment, I wondered if she was a real person or an angel in disguise, just sent to comfort me. Now I know that she’s not only a real person but a person God must have inspired to pray for and bless total strangers.

Once again, I left that bank feeling especially blessed. I felt as if God was reaffirming His unfailing love and compassion for Jon and me. It had to be God who stirred that lady’s heart to pray in the first place. That, to me, is nothing less than a sign and affirmation of God’s unfailing love. 

There are times when we face situations that seems like what was once stable and smooth sailing, suddenly becomes unstable and shaken, but God’s love for us is never shaken. We still believe during those unstable times but occasionally the Lord chooses to send us a sign that affirms His unfailing love and covenant of peace, which can never be shaken or removed. 

Prayer accomplishes so much, and I am also thankful to the many friends who have been praying for Jon for years. It seems that the longer we live, we learn that God enjoys reaffirming His faithfulness to us by blessing us through other people. 

Lord, we praise and thank you for sending us signs of your unfailing love and peace, always affirming that we will never be shaken. Amen

“He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”

John 21:17 (NAB)

This conversation took place after the resurrection when Jesus was making appearances to several people over forty days. He went to Peter, asking him three times in a row if he loved Him, and Peter told Jesus, “Lord, you already know.”

Jesus did already know, so why did He still ask him three times in a row? We don’t know for sure, but maybe Peter was still paralyzed by his shame of denying Jesus. Whatever unworthiness Peter felt over his past, Jesus wasn’t interested in the past, only whether he loved Him in that present moment.

Jesus never brought up Peter’s previous failures, because He moves among us in the present tense. We tend to obsess over our past more than God ever does. By asking Peter three times in a row, Jesus seemed to be saying, 

“Forget the past, do you love me today? Then let’s move forward with the good plans I have for you.”

In another questioning moment, the disciples were telling Jesus what the crowd was saying about Him, and Jesus brought the question back to the disciples, asking, 

“But who do you say that I am?”

He wasn’t interested in the whole crowd’s opinion, but wanted to know what was in their hearts. Jesus cares about each of our personal convictions of faith, because He desires a one on one relationship with each of us. 

Next, Jesus encountered a paralyzed man at the healing pool of Bethesda, and asked another question in which the answer was obvious,

“Do you want to be healed ?” Instead of saying a direct and simple “yes, Lord”, the man proceeded to ramble on about the 38 years that no one helped him into the pool, and how others went in first, and why he was never healed. Jesus ignored his long story about his past and said,

“Pick up your mat and walk.”

God already knows our story, He knows all of our disappointments, failures and losses, but He calls us to the present moment, instead of dwelling on past hurts. When we live in the present, the Lord can move us forward to healing, salvation and new opportunities. That’s what it means to spiritually pick up our mat and start walking. 

In reflecting on all three questions that Jesus asked in the stories above, the desired answer is:

“Yes Lord, I love you, I believe you are the Son of God, and I do want to be healed.” Those are essential answers to essential questions. 

Jesus always leads us to forgive, to be forgiven, to receive inner healing, and to become His messenger of healing for others. 

It begins by moving us from a stagnant place in the past to today’s opportunity to embrace our full potential.

God is writing a beautiful story, and we are all part of it. As we begin this period of Lent, now is the time to answer His questions, pick up our mat and walk in the Spirit by God’s grace.

Lord, help us to always remain in the present with you, that we may answer your questions, be healed and move forward, to be blessed and to bless others. Amen

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

John 6:51 (NIV)

King David called manna the bread of angels. (Psalm 78:25)

Jesus called Himself manna by using the title of living bread that came down from Heaven. 

The book of Exodus describes the mysterious substance that came down from Heaven. It was a light, sweet wafer that appeared on the ground fresh each morning to be gathered by the Israelites. The manna nutritionally sustained them and yet it was like nothing they’d ever eaten before.

While it nourished and sustained them for the day, it could only be gathered one day at a time. God didn’t intend for them to hoard and store manna for future days. When they tried to hoard manna, it became worm infested and rotten.  (Exodus 16:20)

God is definitely telling us something through the nature of that unusual Heavenly bread. Manna has a short shelf life, and so does hope. We were meant to gather and replenish our hope day by day from the Lord.

The hope we had yesterday is easily shaken by a new affliction or trial today, but hope can be gathered fresh each day, just like manna, when we commune with Jesus daily. 

By calling Himself the living bread, Jesus wanted people to reflect on those wilderness days, when God provided that sweet and nutritious wafer every morning. He did it out of love for His people, and today, Jesus is the living nutritious, and sweet wafer sent to us. He offers Himself out of love, to lift and sustain our spirit and refresh our hope.

Once we’ve experienced His gentle, persuasive presence in our life, we’ve learned that He is not forceful, loud or abrasive. It’s not His style to rattle hearts, but to melt them. 

Jesus could have called Himself the King of kings, the Lion of Judah, or the Great High Priest, all of which can be intimidating, yet accurate and true, but He chose to call Himself bread. Think about it, Bread-a basic form of human sustenance. That’s what Jesus wants to be to us each day.

The light, sweet manna wafers from Heaven share similar traits with Jesus, the living bread. Like common bread, He came to the world as the humble, son of a carpenter. Though he was poor, He offered wisdom through the spiritual sustenance found in His words. Just like the sweetness of the manna wafer, there was a sweetness about Jesus, making those who were forgotten or thought to be unworthy, to finally realize that they are highly valued and loved by God. 

As manna was never meant to be stored until an urgent crisis arises, neither is Jesus.  He is our daily bread, who desires to give us a daily portion of hope as we give Him our time to meet with Him. 

Hope derived from Jesus sustains us through the most difficult circumstances. It keeps our soul nourished, our faith grounded and our minds in peace. Instead of letting worries over past problems or future concerns cloud our mind, we receive a new portion of hope each and every day.

Lord, thank you for being the source of our soul’s nourishment, our living manna and bread of heaven, as we receive a fresh portion of hope for today. Amen

“Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him;”

Job 13:15 (NIV)

Since no author is identified as  being the writer of the book of Job, some think the story is an allegory, doubting Job was an actual person, but scholars from Christianity, Judaism, and Islam all recognize Job as an actual person, a wealthy and godly man who lived long ago, and suffered many hardships. 

Ezekiel and James’ epistle, both list Job along with other righteous believers like Daniel, Noah, Elijah and Abraham. Job had a faithful relationship with God, who in turn, blessed him in every area of his life. Everything seemed to be going great for Job and his family, until the “accuser” shows up in the story.

Satan wanders before the throne of God and a conversation ensues. God asked him where he’s been and Satan replied,

“Roaming the earth and patrolling it.” (Job 1:7)

He wasn’t asked to patrol the earth, but he does it for his own reasons. In the book of Revelation, Satan is given the title of “accuser of the brethren”,  and the story of Job demonstrates it. Satan’s motive was to bring Job down, to prove that he wasn’t the man of faith that God thought he was. 

Satan is the founder of gossip and slander, and though he’s good at it, he wasn’t smart enough to realize that God is all-knowing, and knows the hearts of all people. Satan snidely tells God that Job is only faithful because he has wealth, health and happiness, but would curse God if he lost any of these. We can see why Satan has the title of the “accuser of the brethren.” 

Whether that conversation between God and Satan actually took place, is not known, since no one was at God’s throne, to come back and verify it. We do know that God knows every person’s heart, while Satan only thinks he does.

Job’s losses began with a wildfire that destroyed thousands of his livestock and acres of land. Thieves from Chaldea plundered and took the rest of his flocks and herds. A tornado struck the area where all ten of his children were gathered, with their extended families, and he lost his entire family in one day, except for his wife who was with him. 

On top of losing all of his wealth and family, Job developed so many painful boils over his entire body, that his friends could hardly recognize him. His wife, whose faith was nothing like his, told him every day to just curse God and die. He told her that she talked like foolish people do, asking,

“Should we only accept good from God?” 

Job later said the most famous line in the whole story, 

“Though He slay me, yet will I hope in Him.”

Even if the mysterious poetic writer of Job embellished some parts of the story, all scripture as it is written, is inspired by God for us to learn from. God gave us the story of Job to teach us life sustaining truths and to correct false expectations about God. 

The book of Job is not a book for deciphering doctrinal truths of how Satan interacts with God or why bad things to happen to good people. It’s a book about a good and loving God, who will be more than enough for us, even if all Hell breaks loose in our lives. 

The main point of the book of Job is to teach us that the healthiest response we can have in the midst of suffering is to place our hope in God. Job made it through the worst days of his life, but through his story, we learn that if we trust and praise God in all the fires and storms, He will bring us through it with a sound mind and a soul that is heaven bound. 

There is a real enemy of our souls, who patrols and roams the earth, which is Satan, but Job reminds us of the power of endurance, hope and strength, that comes by totally surrendering to God, who loves us. 

Job knew that God was enough for him, and he summed it up by saying, “Though He slay me, yet will I hope in Him.” 

Lord, we praise you for bringing us through every trial, please give us strength and faith to know that you are more than enough and will keep us faithful to the end. Amen

“….the God who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.”

Romans 4:17 (RSV)

This simple verse of scripture alone can give us the faith to believe for almost anything. The words, 

“God gives life to the dead and calls into being, things that do not exist,” can pertain to any aspect of our lives that is perishing and needs a resurrection. Who doesn’t have something that needs to be brought back to life?

The Lord can bring life back to a dying marriage, a declining health situation and to people who’ve lost their faith. Jesus stood over Peter’s mother in law, and rebuked her fever, and the fever left her body immediately. She rose out of bed with a burst of energy, and began serving her house guests. We walk by faith, believing that Jesus is always standing over us.

I received sad news from my son Michael yesterday, that his wife filed for divorce and left him, taking with her, their two children, ages 11 and 13. This is a shock to all of us in the family. We never saw it coming and my son was also totally blindsided. He is devastated and I pray for him, their marriage, but especially for strength for my grandchildren who love their dad. I ask for prayer since this has left us all reeling.

Whenever I need to re-anchor my faith, and believe for God’s intervention in a devastating situation like this, I remind myself of the miracles that God has done in the past for me and other people I know. 

I’m thinking of a miraculous healing of a man named Tom in my previous church. He had surgery to remove a tumor that was between his neck and shoulder, but woke up from surgery with a paralyzed arm. 

In removing the tumor, the surgeon accidentally severed his nerves, which left irreversible damage. They tried performing corrective surgery and physical therapy, but he had no recovery of his arm function. 

Thinking he would have a paralyzed arm for the rest of his life, Tom was praying about this  one day, when he opened a bible, and saw the words, “Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver you.”  (Psalm 50:15) 

Those words stood out as if they were highlighted and shining.

Tom felt a surge of faith to believe God for healing. Shortly afterward, he heard about a healing prayer service scheduled to take place at a church in the city. 

Tom went to the healing service, and the sermon theme was about how forgiveness must precede healing. Faith moves mountains, but healing flows when we forgive others, so in his heart, Tom forgave his surgeon for the injury he suffered. 

Tom and many other people were prayed for at that prayer service, and when hands were laid on him, his pain disappeared immediately, but his paralysis remained-until a week later. One night while he was asleep, a male voice woke him up saying that he was sent to heal him. Tom felt himself touched by some heavenly being, though he saw no one. He was suddenly able to move his arm as he could do before his injury.

The damaged nerves in his body were regenerated by the power of God. Tom has had no deficits ever since then, and his physical therapists and doctors have no explanation for his amazing recovery. He is a man of faith who would love and trust God whether he was healed or not, but to this day, he tells his miracle story, giving God the credit and all the glory. 

God is almighty and able to bring something out of nothing. He brings dead nerves back to life, restores life and love to dead marriages, brings faith to those who stopped believing, and can heal every physical or mental health illness in our bodies. We place all our hope and trust in Him. 

Lord, thank you for bringing life to what was once dead, and calling into existence that which did not exist. Jesus, please send resurrection power into our lives to save, heal and restore us. Amen

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.

He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.

He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.

As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

Psalm 103:8-12 (NASB)

Have you ever had deep regrets about something and mumbled to yourself, things like:

“What was I thinking?, “Why did I trust him?”, or “Why did I confide in her?”, “What made me do that?”, or “Why didn’t I say this or that when I had the chance?”

We have all had experiences where we were hurt by someone we trusted or might have hurt others by our careless words. If we live long enough, there will always be something in our past  to have regrets over, making us wish we could go back and do it over. 

What about God? Does He ever regret His faithfulness to us, or regret showing us His mercy?

These verses from Psalm 103 tell us that He does not. God abounds in lovingkindness. He removes our sins as far as the East is from the West. That means it’s a done deal, and He doesn’t regret it. God is willing to forgive us of anything that we confess to Him. He tells us that He resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. (1 Peter 5:5)

Thankfully, He never has second thoughts or thinks, “This person has screwed up once too often, so I’m done with him or her.” God never stops pursuing us, never stops believing in us and loves us all unconditionally. He has no regrets because it’s His nature to be, “slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.” The heart of God is perpetually full of love, and love leads to mercy, and mercy gives us everlasting hope.

This Psalm is a description of grace, which is defined as God’s unmerited favor toward us. His anger is for a moment but His lovingkindness is everlasting. Instead of giving us what we deserve, He pours out favor and grace upon us, and that’s what unmerited favor looks like. 

David wrote the words in this Psalm by the inspiration of the Spirit, and if anyone has experienced a lifetime of God’s grace, David has. He struggled in making some bad choices and committed serious sins, during his lifetime walk with God. 

We all stumble, sin and make mistakes, but God’s grace raises us up over and over again. While talking to a wise lady in my church, she reminded me that everyone is doing the best they can. As I thought about her words, isn’t that how we all want God to see us-as doing the best we can?

Therefore, if we choose to look at others as we want God to look at us, instead of criticizing them, we can choose to see them as doing the best they can. Wisdom is seeing things from Jesus’ point of view, and He said that the way we judge others, is how we will be judged. (Matthew 7:2)

To trust in Jesus and confess our faults, is doing the best we can, and God, who knows all of our imperfections, forgives us without any regrets. He continues loving and believing in us,showing us mercy, and then He expects us to do the same toward others.

While writing this meditation, I overheard a TV interview with a Christian Neuroscientist regarding faith and the brain. She made a complex subject easy to grasp, explaining that research shows that our brains have what scientists call neuroplasticity. This means that wherever we direct our attention, is where the neurons, or nerve cells of our brain will continue to grow and reorganize positively, even after an injury.

This scientific finding supports the belief that a person of faith can grow new neurons, and can renew and transform their perspective by willfully directing their attention to faith in God through prayer or scripture study. 

The negative thoughts of regret or criticism need not overcrowd our minds, because if God has no regrets in loving and forgiving us, then we should have no regrets either, in forgiving others as well as ourselves. God created our brains with Neuroplasticity, so that we can make new brain cells and literally renew our minds through Christ. 

Lord, thank you for having no regrets in loving and forgiving us, and free us of all regret, by renewing our minds as we focus on your lovingkindness and mercy. Amen

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)

These are some of my favorite words, spoken by Jesus in the gospels. His words are personal enough that we can read them, close our eyes and imagine Him standing in front of us with arms outstretched, saying, “Come and give me everything that is worrying you.” Who could resist such a compassionate plea?

Yet we still end up carrying our burdens instead of giving them to Jesus. There’s a common Yiddish word for that kind of carrying, which is to “schlep.” It refers to dragging and hauling heavy baggage around. Having grown up in a very Jewish neighborhood of Chicago, I regularly heard this term used in daily conversations by my Jewish friends. They might say, “ I can’t schlep any more than this,” or “This is too much to schlep.”

I grew up in a three flat apartment building which my parents owned. Since it’s easier for a landlord to rent the first or second floor apartment than a third floor, in a building without an elevator, the landlord’s family ends up living in the hard to rent, third floor unit. Needless to say, my family and I did a lot of “schlepping”, up and down three flights of stairs. We schlepped all kinds of heavy things, like groceries, furniture, laundry, school books, household items and our own bodies.

Carrying heavy burdens around in the spiritual sense can be considered spiritual schlepping, which is an encumbrance of the soul. The bible refers to spiritual schlepping except it uses different words. It warns us to “stay sober” and guard against spiritual lethargy. We are to keep building on the foundation of our faith, who is Jesus, the rock, but schlepping can misdirect our focus towards other foundations. 

We are warned by Peter and Paul;

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

 (1 Peter 5:8)

“So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.”

(1 Thessalonians 5:6)

When we don’t remain sober and awake spiritually, we end up over encumbered and constantly schlepping. We have two options, either to keep on schlepping or to give it all to Jesus. It’s easy to forget that He is always asking us to come and give our burdens to Him. 

So what are the burdens which spiritually encumber us and lead us to schlepping?

One common burden is being too busy. When our agenda is so packed and hectic, our busyness becomes the baggage that we schlep. When my twins were three years old, I took an art job that I thought would be easy to do from home. 

It wasn’t as easy as I thought with twin toddlers. They started acting out and getting into mischief beyond the norm for any toddler. One day I called out to them from my desk where I was drawing, and said, “You are both acting like you’re not the same boys!” Then my three year old son, Michael, answered, “You’re not the same mommy.” When a schedule finds no time for Jesus or family, then it’s too hectic. God can speak through a toddler at times, and I was clearly encumbered and schlepping more than I could handle. 

Another burden is distraction. A distraction can be anything that has all of our attention but leaves the Lord completely out of it. It’s easy to schlep distractions like anger and unforgiveness, so that we miss out on what God is trying to say to us. Jesus asks us to take His yoke upon us in order to find rest for our souls. By schlepping distracting thoughts around with us, our souls miss out on the true rest that Jesus gives.

Another burden that we schlep along with us is false guilt and shame. Jesus has forgiven us, but other people’s condemning words and self condemning thoughts may get stuck in our minds and weigh us down with baggage which has already been washed away, but we are schlepping it around anyway.

The last thing that is schlepped are the expectations which we place on ourselves. When we compare ourselves to others or to what we used to be, or what we think we should be, it all becomes baggage that we are schlepping. It weighs us down, so that we don’t look up and see how much we are loved by God just as we are. When we stop schlepping the false expectations, and lean into how wonderful God has uniquely wired each one of us, we will find the rest that finally unencumbers our souls.

It’s helpful to periodically ask the questions, 

“Am I schlepping more than I need to carry? Have I given my heavy burdens to Jesus? Once we do, there’s a shower of blessing in store, because His yoke is always easier and His burden is much lighter than what we put upon ourselves. 

Lord, we surrender to you, all our anxieties, our burdens and the thoughts we have schlepped for too long, and we receive your gentle rest for our souls. Amen

“The Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.”

John 5:22-23 (NIV)

A Franciscan priest from NY, Father Benedict Groeschel, is a speaker with a rerun TV show that I enjoy listening to from time to time. It’s amusing to hear him speak in typical New Yorker style, even when he is teaching spiritual truths. He once said, “God is not a chump”, as he stressed the importance of giving the respect and reverence that God deserves. Only a New Yorker could make a point about faith using those words. 

One day he told a true story about his own family. His mother died when he and his brother were young and his brother was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes at the age of twelve. His father was a believer and raised his boys as a single parent, while he grieved the loss of his wife for years. The boys grew up, and the diabetic son was an atheist since the age of twelve, while his other son entered full time ministry, as a Franciscan friar with a psych degree and a TV ministry.

One day, the aging father was talking to his friar son about heaven, and asked how he could be sure he would find their mother when he gets to heaven. He asked many questions, like how souls without bodies, will be able to recognize and communicate with their loved ones in heaven. 

Fr. Groeschel assured his dad that he would be united with his mom again and that there is constant communication in heaven. 

Soon afterward, His father suffered a brain aneurysm and became terminally ill, lying unconscious in an ICU bed. 

While Fr. Groeschel traveled to be with his dying father, his brother, who lived nearby, was at his bedside continuously. 

His father never did wake up again but before he died, a change of facial expression came over his face. His son witnessed his face suddenly change into a big smile. Then his father stopped breathing and passed away in peace, with that smile on his face. The atheist son immediately knew that his dad had just entered the realm of heaven, probably saw Jesus, but definitely saw his wife who he lovingly missed for years. 

As his son witnessed his father die happy and in peace, he was convinced that God, Heaven and the afterlife is real. His faith was restored and he shared what happened with his Friar brother, when he arrived after their father passed away. The atheist brother believed ever since then and told his brother that he had committed the rest of his life to Christ. Sadly, six months later, he died suddenly, and Fr. Groeschel had lost both his father and his brother within six months time. In spite of his loss, he knew that God’s providence was working all along in his brother’s life. 

According to His own timing, God has a special way of giving someone a heart to know Him, by restoring faith in those who’ve grown indifferent towards Him. When a person realizes that souls live after physical death, that this life is a mere dress rehearsal for the eternal one, it opens our eyes to the unseen world of faith around us, and brings a fresh awareness of God’s love and Presence in our lives.  

God’s love reminds us of loved ones who believed and went on before us, and of the rich meaning that heaven holds for them as well as for our friends and family living today. 

Lord, we pray to keep the faith and that special smiles in special moments will give others a heart to know you and fill their hunger with your truth. Amen 

“God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: 

Be reconciled to God.”

2 Corinthians 5:19-20 (NIV)

Jesus had the Mission of all missions, in reconciling the whole world to God, when He became the sacrificed Lamb for mankind.

Every Christian has a mission or many missions to accomplish as ambassadors for Christ during  our lifetime. Paul describes us as Christ’s ambassadors, who are called to inspire all those around us to be reconciled to God. There are different ways to fulfill a mission like that. It could mean setting an example of kindness by going the extra mile for someone, or it might require something more, that will save a life or a soul.

During my youth, I remember watching the popular TV show, Mission Impossible, which started out with an anonymous voice on a tape recorder that described a particular mission to the secret agent, and then it said, 

“Should you choose to accept this mission…….”

We all have the choice to accept a mission or not, since God won’t force anyone to do His will. I just heard a true story about someone who not only accepted a mission but saved a life. 

A healthy man in his early sixties had a massive heart attack while he was driving one morning. Public video cameras captured his car veering off the road, going between cars, trees and light poles, until finally slamming into the side of a commercial building. Miraculously, no other person or car was hit or injured.

There was a young doctor on his way to work that morning, who just happened to be driving right behind that man. He saw the car veer out of control and then crash. He stayed behind him, pulled him out of his vehicle, and performed CPR until paramedics arrived. 

That doctor accomplished an unexpected mission that day. He had to continue the CPR for ten minutes before the man’s heart finally restarted. The most unusual part of the story is that both men took alternate routes that day to avoid heavier traffic. 

It seems they were meant to be on that same road, at the same time that day. The man survived his heart attack and had no brain injury from not breathing for so long. He later met the doctor who saved his life and thanked him, calling him his angel. 

There is another story about an unexpected mission that was accomplished by a man named Maximillian Kolbe. He was a 47 year old priest living in Poland, during the Nazi occupation. He used to publish a newspaper that spoke out against the Nazis, which eventually got him placed in a concentration camp, where he continued to share his faith and inspire other prisoners. 

One day a random prisoner was pulled from the camp to be killed, as an example to discourage other prisoners from escaping. Maximillian Kolbe realized that day, what his mission was in being sent to Auschwitz. He stepped forward and offered himself in place of the young man, who was about to be killed.

The Nazi officer was at first shocked but he had Kolbe taken away, where he was given a lethal injection, and died. The young man’s life was spared and he was sent back to his camp until he was freed after the war, and returned to his family. He told the story of what Fr. Kolbe did for him until he was 97 years old when he died.

Kolbe’s mission seemed like an impossible one to comprehend but God gave him the courage for the mission he was called to. It’s mysterious how certain events can bring two strangers together and a mission emerges out of a dire need. That’s what happened with both of these stories. God still uses regular, everyday people just like us to bring a light into a stranger’s life and fulfill a mission, that makes a difference forever. 

Not everyone is called to a mission of exchanging their life for a total stranger’s. Paul tells us that we are ambassadors for Christ, as God makes an appeal through us, the church, for the reconciliation of the world. Our mission could be as simple as listening to a lonely person who has no other friends, or it may be one that helps someone in a moment of crisis.

Whatever the mission may be, it’s best illustrated by the famous painting of Jesus standing and knocking on a door which has no outside handle. That’s because the door of our heart can only be opened from the inside by us. Only we can open the door and choose to accept the mission Jesus is calling us to. 

Lord, thank you for all missions, great and small, and we continue to open our door to whatever you have for us as your ambassadors in this world. Amen