​gettheWord out
31 August 2020 I Smell Life
Luke 24:32 NLT
They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?”

Yesterday at church, Rob was teaching from Luke 23 about Jesus and the two criminals being crucified. It is interesting how at a time when it would be excruciating to speak as you slowly die of asphyxiation, one man used his painful last breaths to join in with the others mocking Jesus. The other criminal used his painful last breaths to get forgiveness. Both men heard, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” (v.34) But their responses were completely different. Jesus dies first, so the mocker died in misery and hopelessness, but the other criminal died in misery while clinging on to hope that he would wake up and see Jesus, just like Jesus promised. I’d rather die with hope like the second guy.

Three days later, two men are walking with a stranger on the road to Emmaus. They marvel at the conversation and even ask the stranger to stay with them and eat. And when they realized it was Jesus who had been walking and talking with them all day, he was already gone. But they also realized they should’ve known! They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?”

When Jesus speaks, he invites. Our hearts “burn” within us one way or the other. When we read the Word and all that he teaches, we are invited into it, or repulsed by it. Two men on crosses heard about forgiveness at the very end of their lives, but their reaction to the exact same words were not the same at all. Here's why...

But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. 15 Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. 16 To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. (2 Corinthians 2:14-16)

I smell life. 

By the way, how kind of Jesus not to leave anyone out,; even two hard core crucifixion deserving criminals hear about forgiveness of sins! 

Dear Lord Jesus,
Thank you for your work on the cross that is an invitation for us all, everyone of us – even the mockers have an opportunity to grab hold of your great and precious promises. Thank you that I won’t ever suffer or die in hopelessness, but that I always carry around the hope of your promises, and thank you that your words smell like life to me! I pray for my unbelieving friends to smell life before it’s too late for them. Thank you for this great, good news for everyone, and I pray in your name, amen.

​gettheWordout
28 August 2020 Like HE Said
Luke 22:13 NLT
They went off to the city and found everything just as Jesus had said, and they prepared the Passover meal there.

I’m so thankful that trusting Jesus always leads to finding everything just as he said. His promises are so amazing, and to find out for myself they are trustworthy and true grows my faith more and more. Like David wrote many times... No one is ever ashamed for putting their trust in him.

Here’s a few reminders of his promises...
For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.  Philippians 4:13

We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair.  2 Corinthians 4:8

For when I am weak, he makes me  strong.  2 Corinthians 12:10

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. 
2 Thess. 3:3

Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. John 16:33

I have come to give you a rich, full life. John 10:10

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.
​2 Peter 1:3-4

I do not need a magic genie, I do not need a time machine, I do not need good luck or a winning lottery ticket – just our gracious Promise Keeper, Jesus.

Lord Jesus, 
I love mornings where you just invite me to calm down and remember I am completely complete in every way with YOU. Amen!

​gettheWordout
26 August 2020 Light Received Brings More Light
Luke 19:26 NLT
...To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.

“Light received brings more light; light refused brings the night.” (Pate)

In the story Jesus tells in Luke 19, all 10 servants are given the same amount of money. This represents the fact that the same Gospel message is given to ALL, but not everyone is going to do the same thing with it. And Jesus explains in John 3 why that is.

God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. (John 3:19-20)

But for those who accept salvation, we find that God’s generosity doesn’t stop there. We are given more...
James 1:5 He gives wisdom generously without making fun of us for asking.
James 4:6 He gives grace generously.
1 Thessalonians 3:12 He makes love in our hearts overflow.
John 10:10 He gives us a rich, full life!

For those who love the darkness more, do not be surprised... Your love does not increase, you do not have real wisdom or even any common sense, you have no concept of grace only grudges, and your lives are very small – and even that will be taken away just as Jesus said...

Yes,’ the king replied, ‘and to those who use well what they are given, even more will be given. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. And as for these enemies of mine who didn’t want me to be their king—bring them in and execute them right here in front of me.’ (Luke 19:26-27)

Dear God,
Thank you for real life through Jesus and for adding to that a rich, full life because you are loving, kind and generous. Thank you for the Good News that is life saving and life giving. I pray today for my unsaved friends who love the darkness more. May your Holy Spirit urge them to come see all that you offer. I love you and pray in Jesus’ name, amen.

​gettheWordout
24 August 2020
Luke 18:41 NLT What do I Want
Jesus asks a blind man, “What do you want me to do for you?”

This is a funny question to ask a blind man. What else would he have asked for? Makes me think of me. God sees my greatest need, yet what have I asked him for?

My requests usually involve my personal mental, emotional and physical comfort, but God knows my real need is to have a heart like Jesus regardless of my circumstances. Do I ever ask for that? 

Revelation 3:20 says that Jesus stands at the door and knocks. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.  I see him, I hear him & I’m invited by him, but it’s up to me to climb down the tree, like Zacchaeus did, call out to him like this blind man did, and open the door. Yesterday at church Rob asked which is more exciting – opening the door for time with Jesus or opening the door for an Amazon box? It’s funny because my priorities are often focused on temporary comfort and excitement of the box.

James 4:1 describes my natural and regular motives...
What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have... You are jealous of what others have... Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.  And even when you ask... your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure. 

That’s why Jesus asks, “What do you want me to do for you?” Clearly, regular me wants a magic genie not a Savior. What I want him to do isn’t what he came to do for us. 

Thankfully, he knows what I really need; he came to give me a new heart, a heart that isn’t lead my evil desires, jealousy or wishful thoughts. Jesus has saved me, and that doesn't mean that now it’s time to focus on what a person’s heart is focused on before he saves. My greatest need is to have a heart shaped like Jesus’ heart. And that will always my greatest need.

What do I really want Jesus to do for me?
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)

Dear God,
You are kind. You know what I needed before I did and generously offer it through your Son and through your Holy Spirit. Thank you that I do not have to be guided by my natural concerns. Thank you for helping me have a heart like your Son’s in whose name I pray, amen.

PS My take on the conclusion of the Blind Man’s story...  Jesus told him his faith has healed him. That means the man believed in Jesus before he restored his sight. That means that man didn’t just want his vision back; he specifically wanted to lay eyes on the One who saves. Jesus is the one thing to him that’s really worth seeing!

gettheWordout
21 August 2020
Luke 18:14 NLT Praying Much
I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Everyone knows this story of the two men praying. One man was brag praying and the other man was sincerely sincere. Here’s the thing: I don’t need to make myself look good to God because he knows the real me. A prayer like the first man’s prayer is to impress others; it certainly isn’t to impress God.

Here’s what Jesus says about prayers:
1. Pray real prayers in the closet. 
Prayer time is not for boasting so others can hear (either way – boasting about your righteousness or even your awfulness – both are a means of getting attention, and that is not what prayer is for). But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. (Matthew 6:6) 

2. My prayers are not new. And 3. My prayers don’t need to be impressive.
God not only knows what I’m really like, he also already knows my real needs.
When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! (Matthew 6:7-8)

4. Corporate prayer is the solution for everything.
In every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy. 1 Timothy 2:8

5. Personal prayer is an ongoing activity not a special occasion.
Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. (Colossians 4:2 & Ephesians 6:18 & 1 Thessalonians 5:17)

6. Prayer and perseverance are linked. (Luke 18:1)
One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. 

Dear God,
Thank you for this incredible system of communication you made that not only provides answers and direction and provision but also things my heart really needs like peace, comfort and joy. You are good to do things this way for us. Help me pray all day about everything, not because you don’t know but because it is your way to let me know you are here with me. I love you and thank you and pray in Jesus’ name, according to your good will. Amen. ​

​gettheWordout
20 August 2020 Lorders Love to Lord
Luke 22:25-26 NLT
Jesus told them, “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called ‘friends of the people.’ But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant.

Last night at church, Rob was teaching about the Rich Man and the poor man, Lazarus, from Luke 16. You can listen to the whole message here, but one thing Rob pointed out was that even from “the place of torment,” the rich man was still trying to call all the shots. He tells Abraham what he should make Lazarus do while he was in no position to bark out orders to anyone. (See Luke 16:24 &27) Why is that? Because people who love to lord over others love to lord over others.

Rob also said, “People who love to control others have no self-control.” So true. They may seem put together, but it’s an illusion. Self-control is a product of the Holy Spirit working in someone’s heart (See Galatians 5:22-23). We need Jesus for that. That’s why Jesus says for those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. It’s a practical way to practice self-control. Practicing self-controls allows the Holy Spirit to guide my life.  Otherwise, I’m a lord-er who loves to lord. 

2 Timothy 1:7 NCV God did not give us a spirit that makes us afraid but a spirit of power and love and self-control. Real power isn’t being able to lord over other people barking out orders and commanding compliance. Real power is not doing those things. Jesus has actual real power and never lorded over anyone. He invites, and he serves. And (I) must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had (Philippians 2:5).

Dear God,
I do like things a certain way, and thank you I am not without the Source for self-control that would make me stuck like that. Forgive me for the times I demand to be served instead of serving. Thank you that self-control that comes from you actually is a more freeing way to live. Thank you for making these truths known to me through your Son, through your Word, and through personal experience and finding that I am not disappointed but pleasantly surprised when I live in your perfect economy.  Help me serve my family in love today. I love you and thank you and pray in Jesus’ name, amen.

​gettheWordout
19 August 2020 Discernment is Real
Luke 16:14-15NLT
The Pharisees, who dearly loved their money, heard all this and scoffed at him.  Then he said to them, “You like to appear righteous in public, but God knows your hearts. What this world honors is detestable in the sight of God.

It cracks me up how relevant scripture is! People who profess the Bible to be outdated must not have ever actually read it. We are bombarded right now with public officials posing sympathy appearing to have the public’s best interest at heart, and the surrounding oppression and destruction completely contradicts what they say. 

God seeing inside the human heart is indeed an invisible and divine process. How can we discern something only God can see? Jesus shows us there are clues to the invisible motives of people. The Pharisees loving money is an obvious fact. They may give to the poor, but they certainly didn’t live like the poor. The other thing that is obvious and can be seen is what the world honors. Anyone with a heartbeat can see what society values and endorses. Plus, God very clearly instructs us in his Word what is detestable in his sight.

We can recognize blatant hypocrisy. 
Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God.  (1 John 4:1)

We can see what the culture honors and compare it to God’s Word. 
...Test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil.  (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22)

It is only God who sees all hearts, but he has definitely taught us how to guard our own.
I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. 10 For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. (Philippians 1:9-10)

Dear God,
Thank you for your Word this morning full of direction and hope. I am not crazy; I am seeing one thing and being told another by authority figures. Thank you for discernment that comes from you. I don’t need to know a persons heart, but I do need to know what to stay away from and you guide us daily through your Word and your Son. Thank you so much. Help me guard my heart, not be a hypocrite or be swayed by one, and only value and honor what you value and honor. I love you and thank you and pray in Jesus’ name, amen.

gettheWordout
18 August 2020 A Sacrifice that is not a Sacrifice
Luke 21:4NLT
For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.

A sacrifice isn’t a sacrifice if it cost you nothing. Also a sacrifice isn’t something you can demand of someone either, or it’s not a sacrifice but a chore. Sacrificial love is voluntary, genuine, thoughtful and costly.

Jesus said it this way, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”  (John 15:13)

If the virus shut down is rubbing you the wrong way, it might be because of the truths of these passages of scripture. The government requiring sacrifices to be made of perfectly healthy, young, aspiring individuals isn’t a sacrifice of love like they’re telling us it is because this isn’t the model for sacrificial love. 

The individual gets to choose. The one who gave a tiny part of their surplus, from what they didn’t need and wouldn’t miss isn’t actually making any sacrifice. The people getting paid during these shut downs (politicians, union workers and arbitrarily deemed  essential workers) are in no way making any real sacrifice at all like the person who works at a hair salon or a gym. If you want to scream at the tv when you hear: “We’re all in this together,” or when they talk about everyone making sacrifices right now, you are not alone. For the one who says those things while not actually making a voluntary, genuine, costly sacrifice at all is really a tyrant.

My husband posted the following on social media:
Stop asking that an entire generation give up everything for you today so that you *might* not get sick.  Jesus already gave His life for you - without being asked - and He offers you eternity with Him.  Through Jesus, you can lay down your life for this generation instead of demanding they lay theirs down for you. Greater Love.

You can also click here hear more about this from his message last Sunday:
​The Big Invite 

Dear God,
Once again, our world has something so wonderful and good absolutely backwards and wrong. What they call sacrifice is actually tyranny. Good is bad and bad is good. Thank you that we know real right is and real wrong and real sacrifice because of your Son and your Word. Thank you that in Jesus we are not hypocrites, and we are given everything we need for life and godliness and even navigating a pandemic. Please, give us godly leaders with common sense. The leaders in charge of my state have no idea what they’re doing. Don’t let their destructive, irrational, tyrannical plans succeed in anyway. And thank you that all of my trust and hope is in YOU not them! I love you and thank you and pray in Jesus’ name, amen.

​gettheWordout
17 August 2020 Bearing the Weight
Luke 20:17
But Jesus looked into their eyes and said, “Then what does this verse mean: ‘The stone that the builders refused to accept became the cornerstone’?

Jesus had just told a parable about what happens to people who reject him and should expect God’s judgment. The verse he quotes is from Psalm 118 describing the coming Messiah. Now the Messiah is among them quoting this familiar verse to them. Of course, they got angry.

Bible commentators point out that the cornerstone, designated in antiquity, is the stone used at the building’s corner to bear the weight or the stress of the two walls.

The stone a building needs the most so it won’t collapse would NEVER be rejected or thrown out during construction. No responsible, sensible, intelligent builder would ever do that.  

1 Corinthians 3:9-11
And you are a house that belongs to God.  Like an expert builder I built the foundation of that house. I used the gift that God gave me to do this. Other people are building on that foundation. But everyone should be careful how they build. The foundation that has already been built is Jesus Christ, and no one can build any other foundation.

A life built by following any other way besides The Way cannot withhold the stress and bear the weight of life. Talent, popularity, relationships, and tax returns is not what a Believer should be trusting in and waiting on. Only Jesus can bear the weight of our sins and struggles and make it so we don’t absolutely collapse under stress. Everything else is subject to age, change and the economy, and all sensible builders would reject those stones.

Dear God,
Thank you for knowing exactly what my life should be built on, and that it is your perfect Son, Jesus. Thank you for real security and relief of sin, judgment, death and the minor disasters too. Thank you for never leaving me to my own devices but always showing me how to live by following Jesus, the One who can bear my sin and stress. I love you, and I just can’t thank you enough, and I pray in Jesus’ name, amen.

​gettheWordout
15 August 2020 Dear Woman
Luke 13:12-13NLT
When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Dear woman, you are healed of your sickness!” Then he touched her, and instantly she could stand straight. How she praised God!

Things to notice from this interaction:
1. Even though the woman was crippled, she was at the synagogue.
Hebrews 10:25 – And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do...

2. Jesus SAW her and labeled her “dear.”
John 10:14 – I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me...

3. She didn’t ask Jesus to heal her; Jesus called to HER and healed her.
Matthew 6:8 – Your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him...

4. How she praised God! I wish there was more detail for this one. How did she praise him like crazy? Verbally, Physically, Repeatedly? Most likely all three.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ERV –  Always be full of joy.  Never stop praying. Whatever happens, always be thankful. This is how God wants you to live in Christ Jesus.

My take away is to be where Jesus is regardless how I’m feeling because he is always willing to interact with me, see my need, and meet it. And I can freely praise him verbally, physically and repeatedly as he is due. Amen.

Dear God,
Thank you for this wonderful interaction between a plain ol’ dear woman and your Son. Thank you for the countless times you have seen me and seen my need and helped, rescued, saved and made better. Thank you for the hope I have that is based your goodness and what you’ve done. You see and you save. Thank you so much for the benefits and freedom in following you. I love you and thank you and pray in Jesus’ name, amen.