“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned,but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” John 3:16-18
The Pharisee Nicodemus spoke to Jesus under the cover of night so that others wouldn’t see him. The political tensions with the teachers of the law and Jesus were already high. Still Nicodemus, it seems, was an open minded man want to understand just who Jesus was. Nicodemus even acknowledges Jesus as Rabbi in verse 2 of chapter 3 and goes on to state “We know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with you.” Nicodemus is seeking out Jesus…He is questioning, and Jesus gives him answers. Their discussion centers around what it means to be “born again” not in some physical sense but in a spiritual and life altering transformation.
This intimate moment with Jesus, Nicodemus comes face to face with the Messiah – God’s chosen one who has come to deliver not just the Jews but the whole world. Nicodemus sought out Jesus for himself. He was curious, and he asked wanted to know more. This conversation was done one on one, a conversation that begged for answers, and Jesus gave them to Nicodemus. It doesn’t say in the scriptures if Nicodemus became a follower of Christ, but he was present after the crucifixion, and many have speculated that He did indeed become a member of the early Christian church…but it all started here at night with a conversation with a very personal Jesus.
Some of us only know Jesus when we are in large groups while at church. Some find worship to be the only encounter they have with Jesus in their week. But Jesus comes to each of us and longs for us to have that one on one time with Him. He wants to hear from us, and even longs for us to ask the hard questions of life. He comes to us willing to pour out His love upon us and to partake in this life with us. This is a very personal relationship. The corporate setting at church is wonderful, and we mustn’t discount that by any means, but we ought to crave those intimate moments with Jesus too. This is where we can begin to thrive as followers of Christ. This is where the conversation starts – in our silence and our prayers to Him. This is where life becomes transformed and renewed. Something mysterious and wondrous that words cannot even explain takes place when we specifically and intentionally set aside time to commune with Jesus. Oh that each of us encounter Jesus this way today! Find that time, set it aside…and seek your own personal Jesus.
Prayer: Dear Lord, I love to have these intimate moments with you in my life. I come seeking you, Lord find me and speak to me today. Help me to know and understand you. I long to commune with you on a personal level. Scripture tells me that you are closer than any brother can be – be with me now, I invite you to participate in my day. Thank you for making this possible. Thank you for your love in my life! In your name I pray these things. -Amen.
Today is what they call “Ground Hog’s Day”. It’s a rather silly tradition here in the United States that commemorates a rodent and makes this ground hog a meteorologist for the day. It is said that if this rodent sees its shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. It’s a big thing in Punxsutawney PA, as they celebrate and put cameras on this animal that looks somewhat shocked at the attention it is getting. But the real hope in this celebration is that we as people will finally see light at the end of this tunnel that is the season of winter. Many people struggle with winter blues and most just hate the cold weather typically found in the winter months, and so they place their hopes on this silly event known as Ground Hog’s day. All for a little bit of light and a whole lot more warmth.
In reality we all want more light. Winters are okay, even great for many winter recreational sports people, but these months often serve to remind us of dormancy and the hope of new life in the spring. In a very real sense, Christ came so that we could come out of the darkness of sin and death and into the light and warmth of new life! Once we have accepted this new life and light, our calling then is to become that very light for others, who are still in the dark, to see. Our light can shine, but we have to be willing to carry this flame of hope to those around us. The words we choose to say, the actions we choose to do – it all matters! How we conduct ourselves matters! We do not need Christians who only utter truths of the gospel, we need Christians who will live them and practice them. We are called to BE holy, and then do that holiness. It begins by embracing the light, coming out of the shadows and becoming a vessel of peace, love, grace and compassion. Our world needs less hate and judgment and more peace, compassion and love! Can we shine so that the world around us no longer lives in the shadows? Perhaps like Punxsutawney Phil (as silly as it is) we can shine so that others might not see their shadows anymore. The shadows of sin and hurt have held many for ransom for far too long! May we shine and do these good things so that others might find this hope that we all embrace.
While I was tending to this little cut that had become something more, it got me thinking that this is just like hurt and grudges. At the beginning when the wound is inflicted, it doesn’t seem like much. Sure, you feel hurt or wounded by words that were said to you, or things someone has done to you, but you “toughen up” and fight back. At least that’s how I work. I hit back. I respond, sometimes even lashing out. -It’s just a little cut.- But, maybe a few days later, or months later, you discover that this little cut has become a bigger issue that you originally thought. It has festered and become swollen, so much so that it has infected your heart and how you think about THAT person or group. Finally, you have a decision to make…will you allow this wound to continue to fester and eventually poison your whole body (spirit and soul too)? Or will you drain the wound and put ointment on it so that you can heal and move on…and not just live, but thrive?
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we have to drain the wounds in our lives in order for us to become fully like Christ in every way, shape and form. We can declare that we want to be holy, and that we want to be the very image of Christ in our world, but it is only lip service if we haven’t dealt with these infected wounds in our lives. For some of us, these wounds run more deeply than we realize…and we need the Holy Spirit to help us sterilize and heal them. It may take us time to heal, but we must make this a priority in order for us to grow into this grace and knowledge of Christ.
hold you more accountable. I have witnessed people driving by me honking their horns, cutting people off and even giving someone the finger, only to notice that they had an ichthus fish (a Christians symbol) on the back of their car. What kind of witness is that? Will that attract people to Jesus? I don’t think so, in fact I think it will only drive people further from Christ.
This isn’t an easy road. There will be sacrifices along the way, but know that when you commit to him, be faithful to that…don’t have an exit strategy in case it doesn’t work out. It’s either all in or nothing at all. There can be no middle ground, and half-hearted attempts at an obedience relationship to Christ. Are you prepared for such a radical relationship? Are you prepared to deny yourself and take up your cross and follow him?
pressure…but he didn’t. Daniel stood firm. In fact if you read the story of Daniel and lion’s den you will know that as soon as he hears about this new law he goes up to his room, opens the window that face Jerusalem and he prayed to God.
removing the “Me first” mindset from our being and doing. When we have, in some small way, been able to let go of this self-indulgence, we can then allow others to be seen – as in for the first time – seen. In essence, removing the selfishness from our lives, which is in its nature a component of original sin, we are removing the scales from our spiritual eyes. When this removal takes place, compassion can flood in, and the capacity to truly love as God first loved us becomes finally possible.
“…Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant…” Matthew 20:26 Jesus said these words to His disciples, and it has not lost its emphasis on His modern disciples today! In order for us to become great in the Kingdom of Heaven, we have to become servants of all. I should clarify that it is not our goal to become great with all that entails “greatness” in our culture today, e.g. egos, and ambition and selfishness. No, instead out goal ought to first be loving God and then assuming the very image of Christ so that we might fully embrace this removal of self. From this we will then have the great opportunity to love the world around us as Christ first loved you and me. 
It’s the daily routine. Every morning I wake up my children and get them ready for school. Then I shuffle to the kitchen and brew myself a nice hot cup of coffee. Most days my cup is clean but then there are days when my favorite cup was left in the car or in the sink…and it’s dirty. There is a dilemma that happens, do I wash it or just rinse it out. If I rinse it out I will know that the inside wasn’t clean…and I will be thinking about how it will affect the taste of my coffee as well as how it could affect my health to ingest bacteria from a dirty cup. I could drink from it, but I won’t.
Jesus addressed a very real spiritual health issue with these religious leaders.
is our mission still for souls?
Dear soldier, I will also caution you that if you come to this army seeking notoriety, position, power and to establish and build your empire, these efforts will severely damage our mission as a movement. This is not a platform for showboating or ego stroking. This army should never be about climbing the ladder of corporate success or vying for places of authority…and yet I fear it has happened and currently does happen. Some will contend that these are isolated incidents, but it boils down to matters of the heart and depth of our surrender to Christ himself. John the baptist even declared about Jesus – “He must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:30) And when the disciples were arguing about who would be the greatest disciple – Jesus pointed to the little children and told them “…For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.” (Luke 9:48)
Dear Soldier, if you are currently building an empire – perhaps it’s time to seek repentance and reconciliation or depart this movement altogether. This may be strong words to read, but you are not helping to spur on this movement, you are attempting to subvert it with selfish ambitions and sinful pride. Either humble yourselves or you will be humbled by God. I say these words first to myself and then to anyone else this may apply to. Without the constant and compassionate correction of the Holy Spirit how can we ever expect to grow and mature into this faith? And what is this faith, but a transformation of our selfishness into selflessness and the image of Christ in and through everything that we are and do.
Lastly, let me encourage you.
Pastor's Ponderings 