Month: October 2024

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”

Revelation 3:20 (RSV)

Although Jesus calls everyone equally, everyone may not respond to Him in the same time frame, or with the same magnitude of faith. 

Responses matter to Jesus, because He wants to be invited into every part of our life. He is too gentle and polite to barge in and take over. It’s in the most desperate times, that we can hear Him calling our name, or knocking on the door of our hearts, until we respond and invite Him in. 

Jesus talked about the ten lepers that He healed, asking why only one leper returned to thank Him. He expects us to hear His voice and follow Him, because His sheep hear His voice, and they follow Him. Jesus wants responses, and there are so many scriptural examples, making it clear that He appreciates our response to Him, when He calls our name, before or after He heals us, or while He is politely knocking on our door. 

I’m going to share two stories on the topic of responding to Jesus. The first one is a trip down memory lane for me. Although there is an actual street about a mile north of my home, called Memory Lane, I’m sharing this from the memory lane in my heart.

I used to write letters to Ted, my oldest brother who was an instructor Air Force pilot, who was stationed in various countries over the years. For some odd reason, ever since he joined the Air Force, I had an obsession of concern for his safety, and earnestly prayed for him. Even twelve years later, while he was in South Korea, at the height of his Air Force career, I felt an urge to send him a letter with this sentence in it, 

“If you’re ever in a time of danger, call on Jesus.” It’s not very profound, and I don’t know why I felt such intense concern, since it was 1982, long after the Viet Nam era and our country was at peace.

Not very long after that letter, his F-16 jet crashed during a routine mission, and after a ten day search, the crash site revealed that he had died on impact. The cause of the crash was later found to be an electrical wire malfunction in F-16 planes. It took a few more years to prove, but after further investigation, the accident report was changed to read that the cause was electrical wire chafing, and not pilot error. 

I believe that my overwhelming sense of urgency to pray for him and write to him, was a response to the Holy Spirit. I trust that the same Holy Spirit stirred my brother’s heart at an important time in his life, leading him to respond and call upon Jesus, finding peace in his final seconds of life. 

Yesterday, I was visiting patients in the hospital as part of the volunteer ministry I do every Sunday. I visited one patient, who was in his mid seventies, and asked if I could pray for him. He said “Don’t bother, it won’t do any good anyway.” 

He said it with a look in his eyes, which I read as meaning he was facing a terminal diagnosis. Rather than asking any questions, I told him God can do anything, but the most important thing is that we have the peace of knowing it is well with our soul. So I asked again if I could pray that God’s presence would give him peace from this day forward, and he responded yes. Half way through the prayer, he started crying, but I knew that they were tears of comfort and peace. 

In the next few minutes, we agreed together that God’s presence was in the room, and that He will never leave him, and he agreed that eternal life is his greatest gift. 

His very first response to me may have been a negative one, but after praying, he found hope and peace. Jesus was obviously knocking on his door, he heard His voice, and he responded by opening the door of his heart to Him. As I walked out of that room, I felt a sense of awe, that something beautiful, but from another world, just took place in there. A part of heaven is in every hospital room, calling, knocking and whispering to every heart.

We are all carrying a cross, and though we don’t understand it, there is meaning and purpose in our loved one’s suffering, as well as in our own. We don’t need to fully understand things here and now, but the grace of God will always lift us out of our despair and give us peace. As we respond to the One who suffered for us, He changes our hearts, before changing our situations. 

The Holy Spirit is drawing us closer to Jesus each day, and we are all called to respond to Him in some way. The same Spirit leads us to others who are ripe to respond to His voice or a polite knock on their door. The Good Shepherd is a “gatherer.” He is in a continuous phase of gathering His sheep closer and closer to Himself, but it needs to start with each one’s response. 

Lord, you call us all closer, knocking on the door of our hearts daily, and you lift us out of our despair and give us your peace. Send your Spirit to lead us and others to continually respond to you. Amen

“We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. 

2 Corinthians 4:7 ( NLT)

Although the word “resilience” is not mentioned in this scripture verse, it is surely implied. We are all fragile clay jars that contain the great treasure of resilience. Webster’s dictionary defines resilience as the ability to recover, spring back or recoil after some sort of compressive stress. Our resilience is because of Christ living within us. 

Compressive stress refers to being squeezed, crushed or intensely pressured. I think everyone has gone through something at some time, that felt like any of the above. Some things cause us to feel squeezed beyond our capabilities, and yet God gives us the grace of resilience to recoil and spring back. 

I believe that we are all more resilient than we think. While we are in the eye of the storm, we feel like we will never recoil or spring back, but resilience has a way of emerging within us, over time. 

If we stop and think about all that we have already been through and  recoiled from, we would admit that a resilience somehow developed within us. Paul wrote that the great power that is within our fragile clay jars, our bodies, is from God, and not from ourselves. The beautiful mystery of it all, is that in every affliction, we have resilience because of Christ, who dwells in our mortal bodies.  

(2 Corinthians 4:11)

I call it a mystery because we have resilience even when we don’t know that we have it. We are all like David, the shepherd boy, more than we realize. We all face a Goliath of some sort, at some time in our lives. We never expect to face the giants that we face, and we are not seeking to be heroic either. But like the humble shepherd boy, we put our fragile trust in God, using the stone in our hand and let a little faith take action. We step forward, and God does the rest, because the power to overcome giants comes from Him, who is within us.

With every Goliath we face and every trial in our lives, resilience is built up within us, because Christ dwells in us. A person may tell us how strong our faith must be, to handle what we are going through, and yet we never feel strong or resilient in the moment. We just keep moving forward, one day at a time.

It’s beyond positive thinking or mind over matter. It’s not some “thing” that empowers us, it’s someone, and that someone is Christ in us. 

Our resilience develops as we face a giant in some form, whether it’s a medical problem, loss of a loved one, financial stress or encountering some new source of anxiety. I felt intense anxiety five years ago, in taking on the new role as a caregiver for my late husband, during his progression through the horrible illness of ALS.

The role of a caregiver comes with sleepless nights, financial worries, and continually adjusting to medical equipment brought into the home, with exhausting routines, that need to be carried out each day. Besides that, there’s a deep sadness in watching your loved one suffer daily, with no hope of a cure. Yet, even in the deepest darkness, the light of Jesus still shines within us. His light also gave my husband the resilience needed to leave his fragile clay jar and meet Jesus.

During that period, I felt like my clay jar was about to crack, but Jesus was within me, building my resilience through every stage of the pressure. I didn’t know it at the time, but as I look back, He made me resilient.

The power of this scripture says it best, 

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”(2 Corinthians 4:8-9)

We might be briefly knocked off our feet, but we will rise again, because an enduring light dwells within us. It shines through the frail clay jars of this earthly body, and it’s the Spirit of Jesus. He is always within us, giving us the strength to recoil and spring back. He never allows us to be tested beyond what we are able to endure, since He knows each of our limitations. 

“God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it.“ (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Lord, we give you all the glory and gratitude for making us resilient, despite how fragile and weak we may feel at times. Thank you for your Presence within us, and we trust that we will overcome all things in the power of your name. Amen

“We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. 

2 Corinthians 4:7 ( NLT)

Although the word “resilience” is not mentioned in this scripture, the meaning of the words written, imply it. Webster’s dictionary defines resilience as the ability to recover, bounce back or recoil after some sort of compressive stress. This translation refers to us as fragile clay jars, that are pressed by compressive stress. 

Compressive stress is feeling squeezed or pressed against. It can be brought on by some kind of loss, illness, strained relationships or any situation that we never planned for. Some problems cause us to feel stretched beyond our capabilities, yet by God’s grace, in time, we will recoil and spring back. 

I believe that we are all more resilient than we admit to. We don’t always feel like we are going to recoil and spring back when we’re in the eye of the storm, but resilience has a way of emerging within us, over time. 

If we stop and think about what we have overcome over the years in our lives, we will admit that a strength has somehow developed within us, and that strength comes from Jesus. Paul emphasizes the point that our great power is from God, not from ourselves, because the life of Christ is dwelling within our mortal bodies. 

(2 Corinthians 4:11)

The beauty of resilience is that we have it, yet don’t always recognize it within ourselves. Like David, we will each face a Goliath of some sort, at some time in our lives. We humbly face our giant with a little faith in our heart and a simple stone in our hand, and as we put one foot in front of the other, moving forward, God does the rest. The power comes from God, not from ourselves.

Then one day, someone tells us how strong our faith must be, to handle what we are going through, but we never thought of it as strength at the time. We only know that there’s no other option than to keep moving forward, trusting God, as we go.

It’s much deeper than mind over matter or positive thinking. It’s not something emerging from deep within us, it’s someone within us-Jesus.

This resilience of Jesus is placed within all believers, whether we face a Goliath in the form of a medical diagnosis, loss of a loved one, a financial loss or going through any kind of stress or intense anxiety. We may feel like our clay jars are going to break, but Jesus is within us, building our resilience through every trial, making us over comers through Him.

The power of this scripture says it best, 

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”(2 Corinthians 4:8-9)

We might be briefly knocked off our feet, but we will rise up again, because an enduring light dwells within us. It shines through our frail clay vessels, and it’s the Spirit of Jesus. He is within us, helping us to recoil, rise and endure, because God will never allow us to be tested beyond our  capacity to endure.

(1 Corinthians 10:13)

Lord, we give you all the glory and gratitude for making us resilient, despite how fragile and weak we may feel at times. We carry your presence within us, and trust that we will overcome all things in the power of your name. Amen

“Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.”

2 Samuel 9:7 (NIV)

Children are the innocent victims of  so much suffering resulting from the devastation of wars. It reminds me of this Old Testament story about a young handicapped orphan, and how God changed his destiny, giving him new life, hope and restoration. 

Mephibosheth was a healthy little boy, born into the royal family of King Saul. He was the son of Jonathan, David’s closest friend, but he became crippled from a fall at five years old. Soon afterward, there was a war and his entire royal family was killed, leaving him as a disabled orphan. The enemy took over any wealth or land that was his by inheritance, so that he was not only handicapped and orphaned, but homeless as well. 

A friend cared for Mephibosheth in their home, in a city called Lodebar. It was a place of desolation after the war, and the very word, Lodebar, translates to mean “nothing”. So he was literally living in the land of “Nothing” as a nobody, and went from being a royal prince to a disabled pauper. It all happened through a series of events that the little boy had no control of. 

Anyone who has ever lost their health, loved one, income, home or even their sense of self worth, can probably relate to the misfortune of this young boy. We probably all know someone who desperately needs some type of restoration. It could be physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, or financial. 

Mephibosheth was completely helpless and left with nothing, but the Lord is fully attentive to the prayers of the destitute, and would later turn the little boy’s destiny around for the good.  (Psalm 102:17)

Eight years later, after David became king and freed his nation from their enemies, there was peace in the land. David wanted to show kindness to any surviving relative of his beloved friend, Jonathan, so he sent out a search party to find Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth. He was 13 years old by the time they found him in Lodebar, and brought him to the king’s palace. 

King David adopted him as his own son, and restored all the lands of his inheritance. Mephibosheth lived in the royal palace, with the royal family for the rest of his life. He dined at the king’s table with his children, having gone from prince to pauper, and then restored to royal prince again and son of the king.

God is our King, who searches for all those who feel like they are living in the land of Nothing, as a nobody. He has prepared a place for His children in His heavenly kingdom, seating us at His table, as His own adopted sons and daughters.

He has also given us a purpose to fulfill here and now, by being a part of His search party to find all those who feel like nobodies in a land of Nothing. We are to go out on the highways and the byways, and  invite others to become God’s sons and daughters. Whatever they have lost, is restored by becoming joint heirs with His son, Jesus Christ. (Romans 8:17)

David had compassion on Jonathan’s boy, Mephibosheth, and he saw great value in him, beyond his physical handicap, just as God sees great value in us, beyond our flaws and shortcomings. He lifts us up, restores our dignity, baptizes us into His family, and names us after His own son, “Christ”ian.

God is loving and kind to us, just as David was to Mephibosheth. The core of God’s nature is to restore and show mercy, just as David did for the young man, asking, “How may I show My kindness to you?“  

(2 Samuel 9:1)

God searches the world for people who might feel like nobodies in the land of Nothing, and He restores them as a part of His family. He does everything for their eternal good as Peter wrote,

“The God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, and strengthen you.” (1 Peter 5:10)

Lord, We pray for all those who have lost everything due to war, wildfires, hurricanes, or other disasters. Help us to search for and comfort those who feel like nobodies all around us. We ask for the spiritual, mental, physical and emotional restoration and salvation for all who need it, especially innocent children. Amen

“Behold, how good and pleasant it iswhen brothers dwell together in unity.”  Psalm 133:1 (RSV)

I once heard a famous Israeli folk song, composed of the lyrics from this scripture verse. It was sung in a catchy melody in Hebrew. I was studying Hebrew at the time, so I 

bought the tape and played the song in my home. Soon, my boys, who were three years old at the time, were singing the entire song together  in Hebrew after listening to the tape. 

I still remember their voices singing in unity, and in Hebrew, yet. I wish I had a video to capture that memory, but in the 80’s, we didn’t have cell phones at our fingertips as we do today. It made me aware that just as a parent receives joy in seeing their children dwell together in unity, how much more pleasing is it to God, our Heavenly Father, to see us dwell together in unity?

Scripture, unfortunately, is filled with stories of dysfunctional siblings, divided families, and brothers who didn’t dwell in unity, which left many parents broken hearted. It all began with the very first family. 

Adam and Eve’s two sons, Cain and Abel, presented the first murder scene in scripture, committed by a brother against a brother. In Genesis, Abel was the first victim of murder, and a martyr, who was a type and foreshadowing of Jesus. Abel and Jesus, in their innocence, both suffered early deaths at the hands of angry brothers. Abel was killed by Cain, and Jesus was betrayed by brothers in the faith, the religious authorities of His time.

Through the 3,000 years of biblical history, inspired scripture reveals a deeper meaning through these many stories of sibling rivalries. Every betrayed brother in biblical history is a mysterious hint of the coming of God’s own beloved son one day. Jesus represents all brothers who were ever unjustly scorned, betrayed and mistreated by their siblings.

Isaac and Rebecca had twin sons, Jacob and Esau. Jacob was the son who was closer to his mother, and observant of the faith of his parents. Jacob is a subtle reminder of Jesus, but his brother Esau, was a carnal man, who had no regard for his family’s faith or his own birthright. Esau eventually hunted down his own brother, Jacob, attempting to kill him, but God protected Jacob, and he became the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. 

Out of Jacob’s twelve sons, Joseph, was his most beloved son, which stirred hatred and jealousy among the other eleven brothers. Joseph was mistreated by his brothers, who abandoned him, leaving him to be sold into slavery. 

Joseph and Jesus were both beloved sons of their father. Both were betrayed by their brothers, and falsely accused, and both forgave those who once persecuted them. 

Moses had a brother and a sister, Aaron and Miriam. His siblings were loyal to him up to a point, until they became jealous and started to question his authority and exclusive leadership. Miriam was struck with leprosy because of her rebellious attitude towards her brother, but Moses prayed earnestly for her and she was healed. Moses was humble and forgiving, and so was Jesus, who healed many lepers and forgave His enemies from the cross.

David was chosen by God to be the next king of Israel. As the youngest among a large family of brothers, he never received the respect he deserved from his siblings. Jesus also never received the respect He deserved from the Pharisees and Sadducees. David and Jesus both endured disrespect even though they were both chosen by God. 

David’s own son, Absalom, betrayed his father, seeking to overthrow his throne and take over his kingdom by force. It was heartbreaking for David as he later mourned the death of his son, Absalom, after he was killed. Jesus was betrayed by Judas, a close friend from within His inner circle. Jesus wept in advance over the city of Jerusalem, knowing many would reject Him. (Luke 19:41) 

Both David and Jesus were betrayed by someone close to them. 

God put each of these stories in scripture about betrayed brothers, to prepare people to know that His own son would also be betrayed by his own brothers. Jesus is preeminent among all betrayed brothers in history. 

Jacob, Joseph, Moses and David teach us by example to be humble and forgiving, and they were all exalted to positions of leadership, in spite of the betrayals they suffered. 

Jesus taught that those who humble themselves will be exalted, and it is true throughout biblical history. God exalted Jesus, who is the root and offspring of David, the bright and morning star, and He now sits on the throne of heaven as King of kings and Lord of lords.  (Revelation 22:16)

Any parent can understand how pleasing it is to see their children dwell together in unity. We are the sons and daughters of God, and as a Father, He has joy when brothers can live in unity, whether it is in a family or among the nations of the world.

Lord, the whole world desperately needs peace and unity among brothers of families as well as among nations. Give all people a desire to please you first, by forgiving others, living in unity, and fill us with your love and peace. Amen

(Mike (left) and Jon (right) age 2)