Month: September 2023

“And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.”

John 12:32 (NAB)

As usual, Jesus’ words contain more than a single meaning. When He referred to Himself as being lifted up, He was hinting about the type of impending death He would suffer, through crucifixion. 

Being lifted up can also refer to other things, like lifting Him up in our family priorities, our conversations, our individual lives of faith, or even placing the symbol of His cross on the top of a building to ask God’s blessing upon it. 

The first attached photo was taken when the cross was placed on top of Lutheran General hospital in 1959, when it first came to Park Ridge, Illinois. The second photo was taken on my way to work last week. 

The cross, that lights up each night sky, has been standing on top of that hospital, going on seven decades.

There have been many changes of corporate leadership over those years, and not all the policies and decisions have been beneficial ones, but good men and women have cared for thousands of patients, who each have a story of healing from their time spent in the hospital with the lighted cross standing on top of it’s roof. Commercial airline pilots have shared testimonies of how that cross has been a lighted landmark and beacon that safely guided them to O’Hare airport in dark, stormy nights. 

It reminds me that we are all human beings, who have ups and downs, virtues and vices, joys and sorrows. We all make good and bad decisions throughout our lives. There is an invisible cross standing tall over each one of us, which represents the grace of God through Jesus. That grace will also guide us through the stormy nights in our lives. 

We are all a people set apart, marked and sealed by the Holy Spirit. God seems to always put His mark on people. The Hebrew people were instructed to put the blood of a lamb on their doorposts, so that it would be seen as a mark or a seal of protection. 

The blood painted on those doorposts could also resemble the shape of a cross. When the angel swept through Egypt that night, he passed over all those homes with blood on doorposts, saving the people, marked by the blood.

To some, the cross is a mere symbol, but for us who are sealed by it, the cross represents our faith in what Jesus accomplished, and not our own accomplishments. We are saved by the same grace as the Hebrews were, with blood on their doorposts. 

Lord, we lift up your cross, which seals us as your people, and we thank you for your grace that saves us. We are honored to be forever marked by your cross and precious blood of Jesus. Amen

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men,” 1 Timothy 2:1

 “This is good, and it is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

1 Timothy 2:3-4

I have always believed that God wants us to offer prayers to intercede for others. After writing a meditation on Tuesday of this week about the importance of intercession and prayer for our own family members, it seems that meditation brought a new reality into my life.  I have been interceding in prayer for my son, Jon, but yesterday I faced a situation that put me to the test. 

I received a phone-call around 6 pm that my son, Jon, who is 43, was in a very serious accident on I-90, driving his motorcycle without a helmet. He has a depressed skull fracture and had surgery last night to remove blood from both sides of his brain. 

The surgeon said he is still in a very unstable state, and when he arrived to the ER he was in a coma scale of 6, and the lower the number the worse the condition. He remains in the ICU and no one knows what to expect.

This is the son who separated and estranged himself from the entire family for no apparent reason, four years ago. There were no arguments or disagreements, he showed some signs of mental health issues and suddenly dropped out of everyone’s lives, and disappeared. It is possible that substance abuse was involved, but there was no alcohol in his blood. They are testing for drugs today. 

All of his family members are still in shock, but we pray for God’s will to be done and whatever is best for Jon’s life, soul and eternal welfare. I left the ICU unit at 11pm last night, with a heavy heart. His family members and I gathered at his bedside last night and prayed for him, asking for the miraculous of course, and for God’s will to be done. 

I regret that I do not have a more encouraging story to share in this meditation, but since his condition is unstable and his prognosis is not good, we can only hope and pray for better news in the days to come. 

While I am heavily burdened, God is our only hope in times like these.  I turn to my favorite words of Jesus who said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

Today’s scripture encourages us to offer prayers, supplications, intercession as well as thanksgiving. Even when things look the worst, after praying and interceding, we offer thanksgiving in trust that God is good and His plan will always prove to be the best. 

I thank you for your prayers and I pray that all the readers will be lifted up in hope and faith today for whatever they are facing, and find rest in the arms of Jesus. Amen

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.”

Proverbs 18:21  ( RSV)

Life and death is truly in the power of the tongue, and I often catch myself saying negative things when something doesn’t go the way I expected. I say things like, “story of my life,“ when it’s actually not the story of my life. 

The story of my life is God’s miraculous pursuit in seeking, finding and bringing me home to my faith in Jesus. The story of my life is His merciful intervention in my life, through His lovingkindness which I never deserved. Therefore, I really shouldn’t say things to frame myself in a way that God doesn’t agree with. 

What we say to ourselves and to others can influence our future as well as each other’s. If we pray for something and then speak negatively as if it’s never going to happen, I think we disappoint the Lord, who says numerous times throughout the scriptures, that He is searching to find faith on the earth, and without faith it is impossible to please him. 

“For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

If we speak as if we expect something good from God, we can expect Him to reward our faith. The way we speak to others also affects how they will respond in faith to God. God satisfies those who are hungry for Him. Our words not only affect our lives, but also the lives of those who listen to what we say.

We never know how something small and simple that we say, can spiritually inspire someone else. People will present their hunger for God in the most unexpected places and times. 

I believe the Holy Spirit roams about looking for the hungry hearts to fill at any time and any place. An example of this is related to a meditation I once wrote last year, entitled “The Jesus Budget.” I wrote about how I was able to have my cable bill drastically reduced, and still keep my favorite Christian TV channels. After reading that meditation, one of my readers asked me which christian cable stations I receive because she was in the process of changing her own cable package.

I was running errands when she texted me so I couldn’t respond right away. Hours later, I felt prompted to quickly look up those stations on my TV guide as soon as I returned home. I did just that and sent her the names of the four christian stations in my cable package, in a text message form. 

What I didn’t know, is that she was already on the phone with a customer service person from her cable company at the time I sent the text. While she was telling the lady on the phone that she wanted certain Christian channels in her package, the customer service lady began sharing her own faith story with my friend. She told her how she had just committed her life to Jesus, and was sharing all that God was doing in her life. She said she was a new mom and hoped to raise her baby in the faith as well, so she asked my friend what those Christian stations were, so that she could order the same ones in her own cable package. 

It was at this exact moment in their phone conversation that my text with the four stations, arrived to my friend’s phone. She received the text information just when she needed it, and shared it with the young lady from customer service.

A newly devoted Christian was blessed in sharing her faith, while doing her job, and my friend was blessed by listening and sharing with a total stranger on the phone that day.  

No one could have coordinated the timing and the connection of that customer service lady with my friend, along with my text message, other than the Holy Spirit. 

God knows who is hungry for Him and who is willing to speak about Him. How beautiful it is that the power of the tongue can bless and change our own lives and the eternity of others. God works in wondrous ways when we are willing to tell others of His goodness. 

“With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to the Lord;
And I will praise Him in the midst of many.”

(Psalm 109:30)

Lord, thank you for reminding us to let your praise flow from our mouths. Anoint our words to all who we speak to today, and make us a blessing to others. Amen