Inactive Blog

I've found contemplative time given to studying and thinking is now precious and somewhat scarce. I spend time each day alone with the Lord, but it leaves little time to write. So rather than try to express things and fail, I've opted to leave this blog up but inactive.

Perhaps those who visit will enjoy what's already here.

And maybe in time I'll revive it.


May the God of all comfort bless you
and keep you.
Deborah

Foxes and Birds, Matthew 8:19-20

It's been a while since I wrote my musings on the Bible studies God gives me, but today as I read this familiar passage it seemed to take on depth of meaning for me.

Then a scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go." Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."

I want to be a follower of Jesus, so in some ways what he said resonates with meaning for me. I know that many approach his words as an off-the-cuff, emotionally laden burst of enthusiasm, but be that as it may, I still relate to the desire. "I will follow You wherever You go," my heart cries in unison.

Permit me to tell it as a story. Imagine what this man has seen...

It was a day full of surprises. He'd been trailing this crowd as they tagged after Jesus, reputedly the Messiah. This Man taught things he'd never heard before. His ears still rang with the words, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth," and “Ask, and it will be given to you...” He’d told them not to worry, to seek God first. Making his way to the front of the crowd as Jesus moved off the mountain after teaching, he’d actually witnessed Him heal a leper--a leper!--of his disease, and then respond to a centurion whose servant lay dying, healing the man from a distance they said. At the house of Peter they told that He had healed the man's mother-in-law of a fever, too. Then crowds of people came flocking to Him as the sky grew dark, seeking to be healed of all kinds of things. That crowd was dispersing now, happy people going off to their homes in all directions, not one person left suffering.

Jesus came out of the house, getting ready to go across the Sea of Galilee with his men. This was his chance! All he wanted was to be close to this miracle working teacher, to hear what He had to say and watch people restored to health—what a great life! Better than picking the Law apart word by word, day after day, the job description of a scribe. Jesus had said that anyone who heard what He said and acted on it was like a man building a house on solid rock. He wanted that...

The words tumbled out of his mouth, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go." He really meant it. As he smiled expectantly, though, Jesus said those strange words, "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." He’d been thinking about those words all night as he walked along the shore. The night was stormy, full of wind and rain, most of it lashing the lake, but he walked and thought anyway, not caring if he got wet and cold. He sat on a rock now, miles from where he began, accepting finally what Jesus said.

Foxes have holes. Jesus used the word fox to describe Herod, roundly hated by most people as a shrewd and cruel politician. Foxes were vermin, stealing chickens and eggs, sneaking around the countryside, living in holes that caused horses to stumble and break their legs. Pretty good description of a politician. Birds of the air, the wild birds, didn’t have much better connotations. Jesus told a story about seeds scattered along the road, and how birds came and snatched it up. His disciples said they were representative of the evil one!

But the thing he had to acknowledge as he dropped his dripping beard on his chest was that the house he wanted to build on solid rock was clearly not literal. “The Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” This Man, the Messiah, had no home, no house, no hole, no nest. Nowhere. No WHERE at all.

It just seemed so wrong, so unnatural, but he couldn’t escape it. What the Messiah had said was that he, too, needed to understand that if he really wanted to follow Him he had to let go of the big house, the success he enjoyed, the respect he’d earned, his reputation as a scholar. He would be homeless. He had to build his house on a foundation of a different kind of rock, not literal but spiritual. As he sat there in the dark, he knew that if he really wanted to follow, it wasn’t going to be at all what he had thought. The crowds would disperse, the sky would cloud over and the rain fall, storms would toss the boats on the lake, and he would be all alone in the dark trying to figure out Jesus’ words... but what words!


I’ve spun a tale, not knowing any more than you do about what happened that night. Perhaps it speaks of my own struggles more than anything else. If so, that’s fine. I have a nicely feathered nest today, but I tell you with all my heart that I am willing to follow Him at any cost. I will not just give up the house and all the trappings in it, I will gladly, happily, joyfully give them up and go after Him on the darkest of nights, into the boat and onto the sea with Him. You see, I know the end of the story and I want to build on the solid Rock a life that takes me after Him, showing others the way, if they want to come along.

Visitors...

I know there are a few people visiting and I really appreciate that you're coming here. I hope to post more in the future than I've been able to do lately, but I'm caring for my mom (age 96), moving to a new location, and doing a considerable amount of writing for several art magazines. When the Lord allows, I will post more frequently.

God's blessings be upon those of you visiting here!

REPENTANCE- Matthew 3:2-3

John the Baptist's first recorded words are, "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." John B, as I call him (to distinguish him from the apostle John, John A), is the forerunner, the one sent to '...make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight."

When a King was coming he would send out people to make a roadway straight and level, literally taking down high spots and filling in low ones, as well as removing tight curves, so that the King would have no trouble reaching them. Maybe you've met some road workers in your life. They help make us think, show us the need to fill in or lop off parts.

Repentance is like that. It takes out the kinks in our lives. We prepare our minds and hearts to receive our King.

Oh, don't get me wrong. You don't have to clean up your life to receive salvation, but you begin the journey by a heart level desire to lop off those lofty places where you've tried to rule and failed miserably, or fill in the low spots where you've dug a pit and can't get out. Maybe you've tried to straighten the road yourself and found out that it's really impossible. The road crew makes you aware of the need to do the work, but the construction itself defeats you. Remember, the King sends out special crews to do that work.

You know, it's not about becoming 'good enough' to get God to accept you. It's about becoming willing to let Him be the King of your life. It's about opening up the pathway so that there aren't any more barriers between you and the King. He's the one who actually does the road work, in His time and way.

Maybe there's a road worker in your life right now. The kingdom of heaven is at hand. How far off is your hand? Become willing to turn around on your road and open up the way so that the King, Jesus Christ, can come. He's right there and He can do the construction you can't.

THE IMPOSSIBLE BATTLE, 2 Chronicles 20:1-30

Have you ever faced one of those impossible battles? You know, the kind that seems bigger than anything you can handle? Most of us have at least one time we can remember when we felt totally overwhelmed by the odds of coming out on top in some situation. Well, I bet you've never faced a time when there were three armies, a "great multitude" (v. 2), only about 20 miles away and rolling towards your city. Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah faced these odds...and the fear brought them to their knees.

What did they do? Why, they worshiped, of course. First they prayed, reminding themselves of Who God is--His power, His promises, His victories. They trusted Him for the outcome, united as one in faith.

God spoke to these faithful people through a prophet, instructing them to remember that 'the battle is not yours but God's' (v.15.) What odd but welcome words followed:

You need not fight this battle...

'Scuse me? Um..there are a million warriors only twenty miles off and..God said...?

...stand and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf...

That sounds better, but...

Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out to face them, for the LORD is with you.

I like their faithful response. They all bow and start to sing worship to God. If you're like me, when you're in prayer and the Lord speaks to your heart, you feel so full of faith and praises are easy to sing. But the next morning you might not feel so faithful...

Yet they got up early and went out to face the oncoming enemy. Their response is classic. A lot has been written about this battle because the King sent the worship team out ahead of the army. People have joked that the music was so bad it drove the enemy off, but I noticed something. Apparently the man who prophesied was part of the worship team, "a Levite of the sons of Asaph." Personally it would be of great comfort if the guy God spoke through was willing to go out and risk his life on God's word! (I don't think it's a good idea to follow prophets that don't step out in faith, do you?)

They praised, thanked and trusted God in the impossible situation, out of faith, not to twist His arm. They faced the battle the next day without having to ask for another word of prophecy, without seeking another solution. They just faithfully stepped out to see what God would do.

Guess what? God won. He always wins. The three armies turned on each other and there was no battle for Judah that day. In fact they were unexpectedly blessed (v.25.) They end up in the Valley of Beracah, which literally means Blessing, joyfully worshiping again.

Maybe we should keep that in mind the next time things seem impossible...

Put your trust in the LORD your God and you will be established.

The result? Peace and rest (v.30.)

Amen.

"YOU FOLLOW ME!"- John 21:18-22

"Truly, truly, I say to you (Peter), when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go."

Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me!"

Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, "Lord, who is the one who betrays You?" (John)

So Peter seeing him *said to Jesus, "Lord, and what about this man?" Jesus said to him, "If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!"

I know that this is literally about Peter's physical death, as it clearly states, yet I can't help but think that in his life Peter went from girding (preparing) himself, to being girded by Christ, and from doing what he wished, to doing what Christ wished, in essence dying to himself in the process.

I think we're all called, as believers, to surrender our lives to Christ the same way. We're to let Him prepare us and guide us, the same way He did Peter.

And don't you love the way Peter takes the focus off of his future life and directs the attention onto John? I admit that so often in prayer, when I've been convicted of a sin or seen some clear direction that requires me to obey the Lord, I change the subject, praying about someone else...

And just as He did to Peter, the Lord gently points out to me that it's not my business what He has planned for another. I'm just supposed to FOLLOW HIM.

STRICTER JUDGMENT, James 3

I'm teaching a Bible study to a small, fluctuating group of women, so the first verse in James 3 certainly has my attention.

Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.

Any time we teach what the Bible says we're held to a high standard. We will give an account for every idle word we speak (Matthew 12:36), but how much more so when we stand for God?

One of my friends gave me a good illustration of what it means to be in such a position. She's a hostess at a lovely, genteel restaurant. The owner explained that in dealing with the public "you are my face." Now, this lady is beautiful and gracious, greatly respected by her employees, so the idea of being her face impressed my friend. Likewise, when we speak God's word, and especially when we teach about it, we are God's face to those we speak to. It makes it an awesome responsibility, doesn't it?

I was reminded to "be a Berean", too, which is the shorthand my husband and I use to refer to Acts 17:10-11.

Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.

When we listen to anyone teach the Word of God we must always go to the source, the Bible, and check it, not simply accepting what anyone says but becoming responsible to learn if it is correct! We can only know the truth if we have the whole truth, so it's very important to get into the Bible every day and know it from Genesis to Revelation. Oh, I know we can't be certain of every word, but we can do as the Bereans did and search the Scriptures DAILY, so that what we know increases and we can check the validity against the whole counsel of God. That requires steady, incremental study in order to grow in the knowledge of the Word, and that is doubly important for anyone who is teaching.

'Scuse me, but I need to get back to my preparation. Being God's face, even to two or three women who are dear friends, is pretty sobering.