A Clear Message~

Greetings,

The other day I was talking to a high school buddy who shared a funny story.  When she got married her Pekingese didn’t care too much for her new husband.  Mr. Puppy would snark, growl, and aim his bottom at this poor newlywed.  (I have no clue what that last part means).  One day, when the otherwise happy couple arrived home, they saw just how far Mr. Puppy was willing to go to show his disdain for the other man in the house.  

Somehow, he had gotten into the dirty clothes hamper and one by one, brought out all the clothes belonging to his arch nemesis and piled them by the front door.  Not one garment belonging to his mommy - my friend - was touched!  Talk about sending a clear message! What a smart and phenomenal dog.

Jesus sends a clear message too: 

“Jesus was at the table in Levi’s house having supper with a collection of disreputable guests.  The religion scholars saw Him keeping this kind of company and lit into His disciples: ‘What kind of example is this, acting cozy with the riffraff’” (Mark 2:15

The Message Version)?

Jesus acted cozy with the “riffraff” because He was and is a Savior for all.  Unlike Mr. Puppy, Christ loves everybody, and His blessings are meant for anyone who invites Him in.  

That’s good news for us.  We don’t have to worry about whether we are good enough, deserving enough, or worthy enough.  We just have to be willing to sit at the table with Him.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, the message is clear. You love and always welcome us. You will always sit with us when we ask You to.  We invite Your presence into our life right now and ask for peace and healing.   Let Your goodness wash over us! In Jesus’ name, AMEN.

This is the Moment

Thursday greetings,

When Jorge and I were first married we happily moved into our little condo with all the joy that comes from being newlyweds.  Our first washer/dryer was a small stackable combo unit, and I remember how nicely it fit in the small utility room.  One day the dryer started making a funny noise, and Jorge, Mr. Fix-it that he is, removed the back panel, tinkered with it for a while, and reassembled it.  It worked perfectly fine, except there were 16 tiny screws left over that Jorge did not know where they were supposed to go, so off to the surplus screw jar they went.  Jorge, of course, was proud of himself nonetheless.

He and I have something in common: Jorge enjoys taking things apart, rebuilding them, and feeling a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.  I also enjoy breaking down scripture, examining every bit of a verse, extracting as much truth as I can so I can build myself up – encourage myself, bring joy to myself, and bring peace to myself.

Take Esther 4:14, “If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?" 

I have known this verse since forever.  But yesterday I read another translation that says, “Perhaps this is the moment for which you have been created.”

Suddenly, I wanted to break this verse down.  I wanted to examine and extract any inspiration God had for me. 

Let’s think about it.  Why were we born when we were born?  Why wasn’t I born in 1865?  Why weren’t you born 20 years ago or 20 years from now?

Could it be that right now, at this very moment, you are to use your life, and the season of your personal existence in the continuum of history, to do something AMAZING?

Esther had to be born at just the right time to just the right family to be just the right age when God called her through her bravery and courage to literally marry the one person who could save the Jews, her own race,  from annihilation.   It’s an incredible story that we will dive into one day, but for now, each and every one of us can be sure that this – our life, our families, our friends, our communities, our churches – is the moment for which we have been created.

In the absence of history-altering scenarios like saving an entire race of people, is there still something grand that we can be a part of?

Sometimes I think I was born because I would be the only one praying for certain folks I know.  Maybe that doesn’t sound exciting, but prayer changes lives and circumstances.  We should never ever underestimate its power. 

And as I think about the upcoming Presidential election, I thank God for a few of those candidates who came along at just the right time in history because they are willing to fight to take back the reins of our nation’s leadership and hopefully lead us back to our Founding Father.

No matter what the reason why we are here, not one of us is alive on October 29, 2015 by accident.  God has us here for a GREAT PURPOSE!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You that we are important and matter to You.  We are living right now because You have a purpose for us that only we can fulfill.  Make it clear to us what You want us to do. We are willing to step in and change the course of history.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.