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“And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

Esther 4:14 ( NIV)

Esther was an orphaned teenager who lived in 5 B.C. in the Persian empire, which is modern day Iran. She changed history and became the heroine of a Jewish holiday, which is celebrated at this time every year, called Purim. 

Last week was a significant week related to the ancient story of Purim and current world events. 

Purim was on March 3rd, this year, and on that day, there was a full blood moon, a lunar eclipse, and headline world news focused on the war in Iran, the exact place where the Purim story originated. 

The signs in the heavens along with the events happening in Iran, remind people of faith that our redemption may be drawing near. We live in ominous times and we should pray not only for peace between nations, but for the peace of God to be in the hearts of people who are trying to survive in all war torn countries. 

Esther was an orphan, raised by her older cousin Mordecai, who was like an uncle to her. The king of Persia frequently re-staffed his harem with new women, and by no choice of her own, Esther was forced to become a member of his harem. Fate may lead people to places they never wanted to be, but scripture shows that if we pray for God’s will to be done, He uses people to bring about a greater good, which may not make sense until later.

Meanwhile, Esther found favor with the king and was promoted from a concubine to a Queen. Despite her new status as royalty, she had no power over the decisions the King made. As was typical in many cultures in history, Persian women were treated as possessions of men. According to Persian tradition, the Queen was not permitted to go before the King unless he first summons her. If she went unsummoned she could be killed.

Mordecai learned of a plot by a man named Haman to destroy the entire Jewish population living in the land. He urged Esther to go to the King and intercede to prevent the genocide of their people. 

Esther was afraid at first, but Mordecai gave her spiritual insight and courage, through inspiring words which have since been printed on T-shirts, mugs, posters and wall plaques. He told Esther that perhaps she has become Queen…

“for such a time as this.”

Esther fasted and prayed, then found the courage to go directly to the King, though not summoned. The King listened and granted her request, and the genocide plot was thwarted. What Esther did was counter cultural and unheard of at the time. She stepped out of her boundaries as a woman to speak up and save many lives. She discovered her first identity was as a daughter of God, which gave her the courage to break tradition and take action. 

As sons and daughters of God, we may be led to do what is counter cultural at times, in order to bring God’s mercy and justice to others. 

There is not one mention of God in the entire book of Esther, but His plan and Presence was evident, as He worked His will through the prayers and insight of Mordecai and Esther.

A theology professor once said, “Women are channels of God’s wisdom, created to give counsel to men and intercede for all.”

I can see this played out in scripture so many times, not only with Esther, but with Abigail who pleaded with David not to shed blood in a moment of anger, when his pride was injured. Deborah, the only female judge in Israelite history, offered spiritual counsel to kings and military generals who sought her advice before they went to war.  Mary Magdalene was the first one at the tomb, and the first eyewitness to see the resurrected Jesus. The apostles didn’t believe her, yet her spiritual maturity was beyond that of her male counterparts. (Mark 16:11)

God gives courage and wisdom to anyone who asks Him for it, whether male or female. Esther broke the mold as a daughter of God, taking action which saved her people from genocide, simply by being a Queen, 

“for such a time as this.”

Today, our King is Jesus, who always welcomes us to approach His throne of grace. Aware of our spiritual identity as sons and daughters of God, we pray, intercede and speak for people, finding courage to relieve the suffering of others, and asking God for justice and mercy for those who need it. 

Lord, help us live in the identity of being your sons and daughters, fulfilling your purpose and doing your will, wherever we are, for such a time as this. Amen

“You are the salt of the earth…”

Matthew 5:13 (RSV)

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Matthew 5:16 (RSV)

The right word spoken at the right time can definitely impact a person’s heart, but I have come to realize that some of the biggest impacts are made without words. 

This is what lighting up a life and salting the world is all about.

Light can be seen, but not heard. Someone can leave an impression on us even when no words are spoken.

Salt flavors and preserves by mingling it with food, just as we mingle with people God sends our way. No one sees the salt once it is mingled in the food, just as someone leaves an impression on us, even if we have very little in common with them. After mingling, their salt touches our life, as perhaps we have touched theirs. 

I remember someone whose light and salt was left with me, when I once had a faithless, empty heart. During my senior year of high school, I had the opportunity to participate in a new work-study program. Based on what our future career interests were, we worked after school, at a part time job, related to our field of interest. I was interested in advertising art at the time, and was excited to be 

hired to work part time in the advertising department of a major department store in downtown Chicago. 

In those days, stores posted their advertisements in the newspaper each day, using hand drawn illustrations that depicted the clothing being advertised for the week. 

I was hired to model and pose in clothing for the two artists in the advertising department. They drew the sketches that would appear in illustrations for the newspaper ads. At seventeen years old, I couldn’t ask for a more interesting after school job. 

One of the artists, named Ruth, was a single woman in her forties who lived with her mother. She was soft spoken, with a gentle spirit and a kind demeanor. We chatted as I posed in each outfit, while she sketched me. I learned that she and her mother were very involved in their church. At the time I had no interest in God or going to church. 

Ruth never talked to me about Jesus or God, but she seemed to radiate a genuine peace, which left an impression on me. If she had spoken to me about Jesus, I probably wouldn’t have listened, since my heart was closed to God or religion at the time. 

Salt and light can truly remain and leave an impact on someone without using words. In looking back, something about Ruth stayed with me subconsciously, after leaving that job and going on to college. A year or two later, I experienced a turning point of faith, discovering the peace in forgiveness and surrendering my life to Jesus. Even though Ruth never talked to me about God, I’m pretty sure she talked to God about me. 

God created people to mingle with each other and to shine His light, even though we may be totally unaware of how God is using us to be light and salt in our tiny corner of the world. 

I was briefly acquainted in college with a young man I shared a class with. Yoshi was born in Japan, and brought up in the Buddhist faith. One day we got on the subject of God, when I was in a very enthusiastic phase of my faith and I shared what I believed about Jesus. Yoshi was interested enough to visit a few of the campus bible studies I attended. As time went on, we went different directions and I never saw Yoshi again. 

Fifty years later, Yoshi crossed paths with a relative of mine while visiting a church that he pastors. As Yoshi told the pastor his story of finding the grace of being forgiven by Jesus, and that he never found fulfillment in the teachings of Buddhism, he mentioned my name as a person who influenced his decision to become Christian. He is now married and has practiced his Christian faith all these years. 

A few days later, the pastor, who is a distant relative, called to tell me about Yoshi’s visit and his conversion story. I thanked him for telling me, since I never knew that Yoshi was so touched by the Christian faith, or that I was a part of his faith story. 

As I was once impacted by Ruth, Yoshi was impacted by me, and the Holy Spirit does the rest of the work. Whether we use words or not, salt and light have a way of leaving a subtle but profound effect on others. Thank God for His Holy Spirit who brings the conviction of truth to every soul.

Lord, thank you for all those who impacted our desire to draw closer to you, and make us light and salt in the lives of others, who cross our paths each day. Amen

“But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.” Exodus 2:3 (NIV)

The woman described in these passages of Exodus was Jochebed, who was from a family lineage of priests, of the tribe of Levi. Her name isn’t mentioned in the early chapters of the story, but we learn from genealogies, that she was the birth mother of Moses, and a woman of great faith.

There is no mention in this story of God ever once speaking audibly to Jochebed, who decided to hide her three month old baby in order to keep him alive. She received no dreams, no visions, no audible instructions and no angel visits from heaven, to help save her baby from Pharaoh’s cruel decree, ordering the killing of every Hebrew infant male.

Now it was time for her to put her faith into action, as she prayed and toiled before choosing between two options. She could either keep hiding her baby at home, risking that he might be found and murdered, or take the risk of putting him in a waterproof papyrus basket to float down the Nile River. She couldn’t hide him any longer, so she entrusted his destiny to God and chose the latter.

The Nile River was filled with poisonous spiders, crocodiles and deadly mosquitos, but Jochebed decided to risk all those natural threats, rather than take a chance on the evil that Pharaoh could do to her son. 

Jochebed’s name translates to “God’s glory,” and she believed God would bring glory out of the entire situation. Without receiving any visits, visions or voices from heaven, Jochebed took action based on her own faith instincts. In an act of courage and selflessness, Jochebed put her baby into that basket, and sent him down the Nile, praying and trusting God to lead him to whatever his destiny would be.

Her baby was found in the basket by a compassionate princess who received him as a gift and raised him as her own son, in the royal palace. She named him Moses and through providential events, the princess hired Jochebed, to nurse him until he was weaned. 

We all face situations that require courage to trust in God even when we don’t receive any direct answers from Him. Sometimes we need to take immediate action, and at other times, we have no control and no action that we can take, except to be still and know that God is with us. In times like these, it is our faith instincts that rise up within us and lead us to trust in God. 

While Jochebed hid her baby for three months, she prayed for a way to keep him alive in a world of turmoil and injustice, where she was a mere slave. The day she stood on the bank of the Nile, she had already followed her faith instincts, and released him into the care of an invisible God. She watched her baby crying in that basket, floating down the river, her heart, though courageous, was still breaking. Trusting God and turning faith into action, may not spare us from heartbreak, but hope reminds us that it isn’t the end of the story. 

God answered Jochebed’s prayer, far beyond her expectations, since He had a greater plan for him. We all know the story of Moses, but despite how the movies depict the story, after he was weaned, there’s no biblical account of Moses ever being reunited with his birth mother again. Sometimes the closure that we seek in this world, is delayed until we get to Heaven. 

Jochebed was not the only Jewish mother in history, who gave her baby up to save his life. There was another time in history, during the Holocaust, when many mothers did the same, entrusting their children’s lives to someone else who could save them. Many children were adopted and raised in another country by another family, but not all birth mothers were able to reunite with them.

There have been courageous mothers throughout history like Jochebed, who followed their faith instincts, took action and believed that their child’s destiny was in God’s hands.

God is still a rewarder of those who diligently trust in Him. Throughout generations, we entrust the care of our children as well as our loved ones to God. Sometimes we do it by relinquishing our control, learning to be still and trust God’s greater plan, and like Jochebed, we are led by our own faith instincts. 

We pray, take action and then leave everything in the hands of an invisible God, as our loved ones journey along in their own papyrus basket of destiny. 

Lord, show us when to put our faith instincts into action so that we may trust and glorify you through every situation. Amen

“Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings thou hast not desired, but a body hast thou prepared for me.”

Hebrews 10:5 (RSV)

God, the Father, deliberately planned to send us a Savior who would have a human body of flesh and blood. God sent the Holy Spirit to overshadow Mary’s womb and a body was created from her DNA, through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

The eternal Word became flesh and inherited many of her traits and physical features. Jesus probably resembled His mother, and had her blood type. So there He was, the visible Son of God, fully divine because of the Holy Spirit and fully human because of the mother God created to bear Him. God deserves praise for the miracle of the incarnation. 

After God’s Son was clothed in a human body, with that body, He touched and saved the world. The body that God gave Him, served a twofold purpose, to save us, and to express God’s love for us. 

Most of the miraculous healings Jesus performed, involved Him touching others or being touched by others. Every miracle Jesus did could have been done by the Spirit of an invisible God, but He chose to do it through His son. The body of Jesus made it possible for people to personally encounter Him physically. 

He let His feet get washed with a woman’s tears of gratitude. He allowed His head to be lovingly bathed in a costly, fragrant oil. His arms held little children on His lap, talking and laughing with them. With His body, God became very approachable and comfortable to all. He engaged with friends and strangers, hugging, laughing, putting His arms around them, warmly touching all who were with Him. 

God intended for His son to be more than a leader or a public speaker, He intended to draw people close to His heart, using  physical touch. With His hands He touched the eyes of the blind, the ears of the deaf, the tongue of the mute and they were all restored. He touched the hand of a little dead girl, and she rose from the dead. He touched lepers, who were alienated and touched by no one, and they were all healed. 

His hands did more than heal physically, they healed mentally and spiritually, transforming lives, and changing calloused hearts. He healed and delivered the oppressed and broken, drawing certain ones to become His own disciples. When someone was touched by Jesus, they were never the same, which has not changed in the lives of people today. 

Without having a human body, these moments of touching, feeling, healing and setting free, would not be as beautiful. His hands brought so much love, joy, wholeness and healing, and His feet walked toward all those who were forgotten or cast out. He resisted the proud and haughty, but gave grace to the humble. 

The hands and feet that changed so many lives, were eventually pierced with nails. The head that searched for the least among us, was crowned with thorns. God, the Father prepared His body for us, to express His own heart through the human body of His son. Divine planning was invested in every detail. 

In other words, Jesus’ body was God’s love letter to us in the flesh. His greatest expression of love, and His desire for intimacy was written through everything Jesus said and did. A love letter requires a response and God is patiently waiting for many more responses. 

We may have missed out in being among those who physically enjoyed a hug or a touch by Jesus, since we weren’t there, but the same love, mercy and grace is available to us now. He is the same yesterday, today and forever, and is spiritually still touching people today. 

Lord, thank you for all the thought, love and planning you put into preparing the body of Jesus just for us. Amen

“Only think of me when all is well with you, and please do me the great favor of mentioning me to Pharaoh, to get me out of this place.”

Genesis 40:14 (NAB)

Anyone who feels that life has dealt them many unfair and unjust circumstances, should read the life of Joseph. His hardships began when he was abducted as a teenager and thrown into a cistern by his own brothers. He was then sold into slavery to some Egyptian slave traders who were passing by. 

Joseph was sold as a household slave to a master who treated him fairly, until his wife attempted to seduce Joseph. When he refused her advances, she falsely accused him of rape, which got him sent him to prison, which was more of a dungeon in those days. 

Joseph did time for a crime he never committed, but he had a stellar reputation during his incarceration. While in prison, he developed many friendships and earned the respect of all the prisoners and the jailers. 

The cupbearer was near the end of his prison sentence and was soon to be released, so Joseph asked him to speak to Pharaoh on his behalf, when he returns to the palace. He promised to do so, but after he was released, he completely forgot about Joseph.

For days, weeks and months, Joseph was hoping and praying that the cupbearer would speak to Pharaoh on his behalf, but he didn’t. Joseph faced so much injustice but he never lost hope  because he believed that God never forgets anyone. 

Two long years passed since Joseph was in prison, but God’s timing was perfect. Pharaoh had a very disturbing dream one night and asked the cupbearer if he knew of anyone with a gift of interpreting dreams. He suddenly remembered Joseph and told Pharaoh about him. 

Joseph’s breakthrough moment finally came, since Joseph had a gift of receiving supernatural knowledge and interpreting dreams was one way that he used it. Pharaoh did not tell Joseph what he dreamed, but required Joseph to tell him and then interpret it. 

The Lord gave Joseph all he needed to know and he told Pharaoh his dream and what it meant. Pharaoh was impressed and not only freed Joseph, but promoted him to second in command over the entire nation of Egypt. 

One of Joseph’s predictions was that a drought was coming and to stock grain for seven years so that there would be sustenance for all of Egypt when the famine hit. 

His grain storage plan saved the lives of many in Egypt, while prospering the nation after selling grain to all the surrounding lands during a famine. 

If we study Joseph’s life and all the injustices he suffered, we learn that the years he spent in the dungeon were not lost years, but years of preparation. Nothing is lost when we entrust our lives to God, because all things work for our good when we love God. 

Joseph sets the example for anyone who has ever been betrayed by loved ones, falsely accused, unjustly incarcerated or simply forgotten.  

God always was, is and will be our greatest hope, because He never forgets anyone. Joseph shows us that we can trust God even if everyone else has disappointed us. Joseph foreshadowed Jesus, in forgiving all who mistreated him.

When Joseph was finally reunited with his brothers and his elderly father, there was only love between them all. Joseph’s life proves that years spent in waiting for God’s justice are a preparation period for better days to come. 

All things work together for good, to those who love the Lord. If we learn anything from Joseph, it’s that we don’t need an itinerary for our destination in life, when we live life, knowing God is our driver.

Lord, give us the patience to wait and the faith to trust your timing. Guard our hearts from bitterness, so that we may forgive and bless others as Joseph did. Amen 

“If I forget you, Jerusalem,

 may my right hand forget its skill.”

Psalm 137:5 (NIV)

For a moment, forget about all the wars and violence in the Middle East,  past or present, in order to meditate on what Jerusalem has meant to all believers throughout the centuries. In other words, let’s recenter ourselves on our Jerusalem state of mind. 

“Yerushalayim,” as pronounced in Hebrew, means “Foundation of peace.”  It’s the physical place on earth, where the story of salvation all began. God connected with mankind in a way that He never did before, when Jesus became the incarnate, final sacrifice for our atonement, bringing true peace to all who believe in Him.

Jerusalem was known for the great temple built by King Solomon 967 years before Jesus came into the world. Solomon prayed, asking God to grant the prayer requests of all who prayed facing the temple in Jerusalem. (1 Kings 8:29-30)

To this day, people pray facing east, toward the site of the only remnant of that temple, still standing in Jerusalem today, called the Western wall. 

We no longer need to stand at the temple site or look toward the east when we pray, because the first step to a Jerusalem state of mind is knowing that we have someone greater than the temple, living within us. So we pray from wherever we are, asking everything in Jesus’ name, just as He told us to do.

Jerusalem is also the place where Jesus wept over those who were unwilling to be gathered to Him. A Jerusalem state of mind empathizes with God’s love and laments over those who reject Him. 

(Matthew 23:37-39)

On His way to Jerusalem, ten lepers approached Jesus, begging Him to heal their leprosy. Jesus healed all ten of the lepers, yet only one leper returned to Jesus, bowing down in worship, to thank Him. 

In a Jerusalem state of mind, we think like that one leper who returns to God in gratitude to worship and thank Him.

A person’s destiny can change for the better, in an instant, like the woman who had a twelve year hemorrhage, but was instantly healed with one touch of Jesus’ garment. Others lived in bondage for years, until Jesus rebuked their demons and set them free. A Jerusalem state of mind recalls every turning point in our lives when we were touched by Jesus, and set free from years of suffering or guilt. 

Jerusalem is a place of beginnings and endings, where Jesus ate the last supper, but talked about a new heaven and a new earth. It’s where we received the first installment of the hope and promise of our own bodily resurrection one day. A Jerusalem state of mind is the spiritual place where our faith and our choices today, determine the rewards of our eternal destiny.

When we try too hard to fit into this present world, Jerusalem reminds us that our true citizenship is in the heaven. (Philippians 3:20)

Until then, we center ourselves on a Jerusalem state of mind, which is as near to us as our right hand. 

We can never forget the lessons of Jerusalem or the words that Jesus spoke, saying, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” A Jerusalem state of mind is where we find our rest in Jesus. It’s where we express our gratitude for how He loves, heals and forgives us, recalling those turning points when He touched our life and set us free. Then, like that one leper, we keep returning to bow before Him, in thanksgiving and praise. 

Lord, as we center ourselves on our Jerusalem state of mind, help us to find our rest in you, filled with faith and gratitude, as we remember all the ways you have touched our life and set us free. Amen 

“Under His feet there appeared to be sapphire tilework, as clear as the sky itself.

Yet He did not lay a hand on these chosen Israelites. They saw God, and they ate and drank.”

Exodus 24:10-11 (NAB)

Moses wrote about an awesome mountain top experience he had around 1400 BC. After he chose seventy men, elders from all the tribes of Israel, along with his brother Aaron, and two nephews, Nadab and Abihu, they all went up the holy mountain of Sinai. Moses, his brother and nephews, being from the priestly tribe of Levi, offered the blood sacrifice on behalf of all the Israelite people. 

After they made the sacrifice, it says that as they ate and drank, they saw the feet of God on a magnificent floor of sapphire. As beautiful as the glistening blue sapphire floor sounds, I can’t help but be more fixated on the feet that were on it. God is a Spirit and He doesn’t have a body, so whose feet did they see? Scripture does say that Jesus is the “image of the invisible God.” 

(Colossians 1:15)

The feet they saw on the sapphire floor had to be the feet of Jesus, the second person of the divine Trinity. Though Jesus rarely appeared to people in the Old Testament, before His incarnation, it’s called a Theophany when He does. Were the feet seen on the sapphire floor, the feet of Jesus?

The elders beheld God as they ate and drank in His Presence. Who prepared the food they ate? Are there angels who serve as master chefs to prepare meals for special occasions? Was it a complete meal or only bread and wine, as a foreshadowing of the sacrament of communion that Jesus initiated later?

I certainly have more questions than answers, but one thing is clear, those men were given a limited glimpse of God, through a theophany of Jesus, and lived to tell about it.

So, there was a chosen group of men who ate and drank, dining in God’s Presence, on Mount Sinai after offering a sacrifice for sins. I’m beginning to see something strangely familiar about this whole scene. 

The twelve apostles were chosen men who also ate and drank in God’s Presence, at the last supper meal with Jesus. Moses and his men were on the mountain top and the twelve apostles were in an upper room. While there, Jesus spoke about His blood of the new covenant, that will be offered for forgiveness of sins, once and for all. 

The last supper seems like the fulfillment of the Mount Sinai event, except there was no sapphire floor in the upper room. It’s estimated that Jesus walked 1,968 feet, carrying a heavy cross up a hill, until being nailed to it, with Roman spikes driven through His hands and feet. 

These images are meant to reflect on as we participate in holy communion. We are privileged to eat and drink in the Presence of God, just as the chosen men on Mount Sinai and the apostles in the upper room did. Every time we receive communion, it becomes our upper room and mountain top moment, because if communion were only a meal, then the crucifixion was only an execution. It’s a sacred moment to worship and cherish Jesus, who is now seated at the right hand of God, the Father. 

Today, His nail scarred feet rest on that beautiful sapphire floor in Heaven, the same one that appeared to Moses and the elders. Though we cannot see Him now, we know how beautiful His feet are, because they brought us good news and paid the cost of our salvation. 

In Heaven, we will see everything clearly. We will see His face shining like the sun, a glorious throne, angels singing, gates of pearl, streets of gold, fragrant incense, and all who have ever believed, worshipping the Lamb of God who now lives to intercede for us. 

Until that day, His Spirit dwells in us, as His living Temples, which  may not have sapphire floors, but the more we surrender our hearts to Him, the more we beautify our Temple for Jesus to dwell in. 

Lord, thank you for the privilege to dine in your Presence through the new covenant made perfect by your precious blood. Help us keep our inward Temples beautiful for you to dwell in. Amen 

“Even now, declares the Lord,
return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.”

Joel 2:12-13 (NIV)

Since I started writing meditations over the past four years, there is a prevailing message within my spirit, which constantly emerges  through everything I write, and it’s that God keeps pursuing every human soul to reveal His love and mercy to them. Sometimes I say to myself, why am I writing the same theme again, but then I realize it’s not my decision, since  I’m being compelled by the Holy Spirit. 

Last week I was watching a show on the Christian TBN network, where a man was sharing his renewal of faith through a near death experience. I have read and heard many near death stories, but his especially drew my attention.

Marty always believed in Jesus as a child and a teenager, but as an adult, he drifted away from his faith. Through the stressors of his life, working as a County Sheriff, having two failed marriages, and in increasingly poor health, he was aware of his need to return to the Lord, but for some reason, he kept avoiding Him.

At the age of 51, Marty suffered a cardiac arrest, was hospitalized, intubated and lying comatose in intensive care. While unconscious and in a coma, he had either some type of lucid dream or near death experience. 

Marty found himself standing in the presence of Jesus. He felt the power of His love but he was so ashamed, he covered his face with his hands, expecting Jesus to point out all his faults and failures, but instead, Jesus spoke gently, “Son, come back to Me and do what I’ve called you to do.” 

“Return to God” is the message of all the prophets in the bible and it’s still the message today. Marty awoke from his lucid comatose dream conversation with Jesus, with a desire to return to the Lord he knew in his youth. He now lives with a strong sense of mission to remind people that Jesus loves us and is returning one day. The most prevailing truth that stayed with Marty is that Jesus never stops pursuing all people, driven by His pure love and mercy.

I‘ve never had a near death experience, and never heard the voice of Jesus talking to me, but the idea of God being in constant pursuit of every human heart, driven by His love, is a truth that has always propelled me to write. It sounds simple but as Augustine once said, every person needs to know that God loves them as if they were the only person in the world.

In his coma experience, Marty heard Jesus call him “son”, and like a father of a prodigal, He asked him to come back and do what He called him to do. I believe Jesus is saying that to everyone, from every background of faith.

Jesus will return someday, but He is still busy adding more members to His church. Whether He returns as a Father to a prodigal child, or a Bridegroom to a beloved bride, or a faithful Friend to the lonely, it’s His divine love that perpetually draws every human heart to Him. Jesus desires that all people return to Him, but He also desires that we long for His future return to us, as was the cry of John’s heart in the book of Revelation, “Come Lord Jesus!”

Whatever we know and believe about God, we all have hearts that are prone to wander and attention that easily drifts from God, but Jesus never stops pursuing us, inviting us to partake of His unconditional mercy and love. He’s in an endless pursuit to reveal His love to all people. His love is incomprehensible to our human minds, but it can be fully embraced with our hearts, as we yield ourselves to Him.

Lord, open our hearts to keep returning to you, listening to you and doing what you have called us to do, as we keep believing that you, Jesus, will come again. Amen

“Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me?”

John 14:9-10 (RSV)

These are the words of Jesus when Philip asked Him to show them the Father. Jesus spoke so much about His Father in Heaven that the disciples finally said, “Show Him to us!”

At the transfiguration, a voice spoke audibly from the sky and said, “This is my beloved Son, listen to Him!”, so by listening to Jesus, we can learn all we need to know about His Father. Every thing He did and everything He taught reflect His Father. If anyone thinks that God is nothing like Jesus, they haven’t been listening to Jesus, because He told us that He and His Father are one.  (John 10:30)

Jesus constantly reached out to the most marginalized and untouchables of society, such as lepers, gentiles and prostitutes. Many of His parables were focused on the relationship of fathers and sons. Everything He did in His ministry revealed His own paternal nature. When He spoke to the woman who was healed of bleeding, He called her “Daughter”, then said, “your faith has healed you.” (Matthew 9:22)

Jesus is also the good shepherd who will leave his flock to search for the one who is lost. Just like a father of many children, He loves them all but would leave to search for one who is lost. These are the images that God wants us to see about Him.

When Jesus said “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,” it’s an open invitation to all people, but especially to the burdened, broken, and forgotten ones. He goes on to say, “Take my yoke upon you, for I am gentle and lowly in heart….”  Since Jesus describes Himself as gentle, then so is His Father. 

I never had this understanding of God while growing up. I imagined a stern God, with standards so high that I would never measure up. I pictured Him always frowning at me, for not being good enough.

That misconception was the enemy’s deception which kept me from discovering the most powerful truth, that God is my good and true Heavenly Father. I know now that God doesn’t love us because we are good, He loves us because He is good.

I am certain that Jesus was trying to speak to me at different times in my youth, probably saying something like, “If you only knew that I love you and want to give you my peace.”(Luke 19:42) 

At first I wasn’t listening, but God never gives up on us, and the day came when I finally ran toward Him instead away from Him. 

God is a good Father, who longs for every person to return and be reconciled to Him. The word reconcile is defined as restoring a relationship, but with God, it involves so much more than that. It’s moving us from doubt, separation and brokenness to healing love, forgiveness and wholeness.

It’s the lovingkindness of God, not the fear of wrath, that leads people to repentance and a long lasting relationship with Him. 

(Romans 2:4)

When Jesus stood looking at the city of Jerusalem, He lamented over the people who rejected Him, saying that He longed to gather them as a mother hen gathers her chicks, but they would not come. 

Those are very parental words, desiring to gather and reconcile one’s own children. Jesus gives us a glimpse of God’s true nature, as the prototype of a good Father. 

To know Jesus is to know God, who is our good and perfect Father, longing to gather His children who are separated, hurt and broken. The Father’s sole desire is manifested through Jesus, to love, heal, and forgive, making us truly whole.

Lord, help us to see you as our good and loving Father, who longs to gather and reconcile all people to Yourself. Amen

“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.“

Philippians 4:8 (NASB)

We can spend our thoughts just as we can spend our money. As we can invest money in wasteful things, that cannot bring lasting benefits, we can also invest our thoughts in things that don’t benefit our faith, but rather increase our anxiety. There are contributors to negative thinking based on what we are investing  our thoughts in.

In today’s scripture, Paul teaches us that there’s a thinking skill to practice and develop. We have the choice to invest our thoughts in what is good, honorable, and worthy of praise, or to allow our thought flow to be inundated with the negativity all around us.

If we adopt and practice Paul’s way of thinking, we will strengthen our inner person. Jesus told us that what goes into the mind and heart is what comes out of our mouths. (Matthew 15:18)

In realizing that my thoughts precede my words, I found that reshaping my thought life to a more praiseworthy focus, also results in speaking words that are more fruitful. 

We’ve all been dragged down at some time, by allowing negativity to permeate our thoughts. One person may talk to us for only a few minutes and unintentionally load our mind with a fearful, angry or hopeless flow of thoughts. Though unintentional, that person could be a stranger, friend, relative, coworker, doctor, or even a news anchor. 

Listening to a lot of bad news in a day contributes to a negative thought flow. We don’t always have a choice, but we can still influence our thought flow by the books we choose to read or what we watch on TV. I don’t believe in burying our head in the sand, but ever since I have chosen to only listen to contemporary Christian music in my car, the lyrics seep into my subconscious mind and nourish my soul. 

It’s as if I am entering another world in my car, despite whatever problems are happening that day. When I’m at home, I read inspirational books and often switch to a Christian cable channel to watch and hear news that is praiseworthy, given from a spiritual, Christ centered perspective.

When the Holy Spirit controls our thoughts, we are able to hear anything and our mind will filter it according to God’s truth, and His wisdom guards our mind and hearts from being overwhelmed by negativity. 

The human psyche needs to hear the true stories of the good things God is doing in people’s lives, which Paul’s calls “praiseworthy.”

Everyone has real problems that cause real anxiety, but we can choose to invest our thoughts in what is praiseworthy. Soon we will reap the benefit of increased faith and a profound peace that passes all understanding. 

Paul’s advice to “think on these things”, implies that we are the ones who decide and choose what to invest our thoughts in. Based on what we read or listen to, we can choose to spend our thoughts in gratitude for God’s goodness and things that are praiseworthy, which transforms our thought flow and defeats the spirit of worry and anxiety. 

It seems that whenever I meet people who are exceptionally upbeat and cheerful, they’re also very thankful people. Gratitude begins in the mind, with a thought, but it was never meant to remain as a thought. Gratitude requires  expression in words, both to God and to be shared with others. 

When I listen to someone else’s story of what good things God has done for them, it inspires my faith and renews my hope. If we choose to think about true stories  of God’s intervention and grace, there is no room in our minds for negativity, only praise. 

Praise is a powerful weapon that resists evil and sends the devil fleeing. Thoughts of praise and gratitude overcome the thoughts of fear, anger, worry or anxiety.

Everyone faces difficult times in  their journey of faith, but those times are not the end of our story. Investing our thoughts in God’s goodness fills our hearts with praise, reshapes our thought life, renews our hope and flows like a fountain from our lips.

Lord, help us to reshape our thought flow to a more positive one, by choosing to spend our thoughts on what is praiseworthy and good, guided by your Spirit. Amen