Tag Archives: Bible

His Disciple: Teachable

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.

He taught them. He didn’t send them to the Pharisees, to Rome, or to any other source to learn how to be His disciple. Instead, He called them to Himself and then He taught them. And much of the time, He was quoting the Old Testament.

And then they wrote down His teachings, and they taught others, and then the others taught even more others. But the reason there was something to teach, is because Jesus taught teachable disciples.

Today, we have so many sources of teaching, and I wonder if it’s made us lazy. It’s so much easier to be taught through listening to a podcast than to sit down and open our bible. A whole world of teachings is available at our fingertips, and it is enticing. But so very much of it is simply untrue and, unfortunately, because we are not actually reading our bibles, we are drawn in by what sounds good to our ears, perhaps unaware that it contradicts the Word of God.

Only the Scriptures will teach us what is true and if we don’t believe that, we are starting from a deficit. Without a plumb line, everything will be skewed.

There are good sermons, good books, good podcasts, good voices out there who are teaching good theology, grounded in scripture. But there are also plenty who are teaching a “different gospel, that is no gospel at all.” People who don’t like what the bible teaches, so they’ve decided it’s not true, and they’ve made up their own truth. They twist the bible to fit what they believe, rather than allowing what they believe to be formed by the bible. It’s not a new thing. It was actually happening in Jesus’ day, Paul’s day, and every “day” since. It’s no less dangerous now than it was then.

The problem is not that we aren’t teachable, it’s who or what, we allow to teach us.

A couple of lines from John, chapter 6:

“On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”

 “From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.”

They didn’t like what He taught, so they walked away, much like so many people are doing today. He didn’t chase after them to try to convince them, and He never once apologized for the truth. He gave us free will, and He allows us to use it. But what we can’t do is reject His Word and still claim to be His disciple. It just doesn’t work. If we attempt to separate Jesus from the whole of the scriptures, we only end up with a god of our own making.

Listen to this interaction out of Matthew 16:

 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.”

Many people said (and say) many things about Jesus, and those many people were wrong. But Peter knew the truth, and I believe it is because He was with Jesus, following Him, learning from Him. He was teachable to the truth because he was following closely to the One who is truth.

We are not told that we shouldn’t listen to other teachers. The scriptures tell us that God gave teachers to the body. But there is a way we are to listen to others who are teaching us.

Acts 17:11: “Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.“

They eagerly listened to the teachings of Paul, but then they verified what he taught by searching the scriptures. Sadly, many today use their feelings as verification of whether something is true or not. How it makes them feel, and whether or not it lines up with what they think should be true. Truth is now subjective to each person and their viewpoint, their feelings, their experience, and their trauma. And when you have a generation of people seeking to have their feelings validated, it is guaranteed that there will be a multitude of people willing to step in and do that as a means to build their own platform, bank account, or kingdom. God help us.

I am asking myself what may seem like simple questions, ones I’d like to answer quickly, but I know that it requires an honest look at my life:

Am I still teachable? Who is teaching me? Do I verify what I’m hearing by going to scripture? Am I willing to learn hard things from the Bible?

Lord, forgive us for what we’ve done with Your Word. I pray for a revival of the holy scriptures in me, and in Your Church today. I pray for a great thirst to come over us, a thirst for Your truth, found in Your Word. I pray that the heart of the Bereans would be in me, and that Your Word would be my plumbline, always.

Exodus 11: The Last One

“There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt—worse than there has ever been or ever will be again. But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any person or animal.’ Then you will know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.” (v. 6-7)

This was it. The negotiations were over and there would be no further discussion. God’s last blow to Pharoah would bring him to his knees (for a minute) and the Israelites would go free… every single one of them.

{What we, you and I, must wrestle with is the fact that God hardened Pharoah’s heart so that he would not let the Israelites go. To help with your wrestle, I recommend this article by Tim Mackie, Chief Education Officer for the BibleProject.}

The relationship between God and Moses fascinates me, and puts a longing in me. God told Moses every detail of what was going to happen. Be real, when was the last time God told you every detail of what He was about to do? Me? Never. He’s given me blurry glimpses of things I didn’t quite understand, and given me words to speak to others that usually only made sense to them, but that’s it.

I want what Moses had with God, but I really don’t want the assignments Moses had from God. Perhaps that’s why I get blurry pictures and words I don’t understand. I want the good part but not the hard part. Something to ponder for later.

What I keep staring at is that even under the threat of death to his firstborn son, Pharoah decided he would not let the Israelites go. The hardness of his heart was complete, and was a danger to all of Egypt. Perhaps he thought there would be more chances, more room for negotiating. More time.

And that’s the thing. We all think there’s more time, more wiggle room when it comes to the things of God, especially salvation and eternity. I’ll lay down that sin soon, but not now. I’ll consider following Jesus, but not right now. Later, when I’ve got my shi stuff together. Someday, one day, maybe tomorrow I’ll think about all of that.

But there will always be a last time for God’s mercy, because there will always be a last breath we take and we have no idea when that will be.

Pharoah would find out that this was the last plague, the last chance, the last time Moses would make an offer, and the price of ignoring that last one would devastate an entire nation.

How many has there been for you? How many times have you heard or felt the call of God in your life? How many times has God told you to lay that sin down? How many times have you felt the urging of the Holy Spirit to turn around and come back to God?

I pray that we all heed whatever God is putting before us quickly. Before it becomes the last one.

Naked & Ashamed

I was sitting at a table lost in thought, minding my own business, when a woman walked by right as I looked up from my bible. Her body language, the hair she used to obscure her face, the sweater pulled around her, I noticed all of it in a nano second as the Holy Spirit whispered “she is ashamed and afraid of being exposed.” And that began thirty minutes of playing connect the dots until what God wanted me to see began to emerge. So hang with me and I’ll see if I can re-connect them here.

Shame…

  • Genesis 2;25 – “Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.”
  • Genesis 3:7 – “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.”

Sin had opened their eyes to their nakedness. They had always been naked, but they had neither the realization of nakedness, nor the shame of it. This was now the condition of their disobedience. Naked and ashamed.

  • Daniel 12:1-2 – “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.”

Shame will be the condition of every person who is bound for an eternity without God (hell), because the condition of Adam & Eve’s disobedience now follows their children.

  • Romans 10:11 – “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”

Shame wants us to hide, not just ourselves, but hide our sin.

So I speak to the Beloved, to the children of God – shame has no part in you. Guilt, ok. Conviction, absolutely. These things will move us toward God, toward repentance.

  • 1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
  • James 5:19: “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”

Confession is a weapon against the feeling of shame. It isn’t easy by any means. Hard stuff to come out of hiding and let our sin be exposed, but that is where the cleansing comes, where we find healing.

There just isn’t any other way but His way, and everything is so much better His way.

Naked…

  • Zechariah 3:4 – “Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.” Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.”
  • Galatians 3:26-27 – “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”
  • Revelation 7:9 – “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.”

So to the one who is head down, face covered, trying to disappear in your shame – Jesus covers you. Clothes you with clean garments, robes of His righteousness; in fact, you are clothed with Him.

  • Isaiah 1:18 – “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”

He has not left you naked and ashamed, He has made you covered and forgiven. Walk in the truth, my friend.

Exodus 8: He Is Still Coming After His Own

First there was blood. Now, frogs. As I sit in my front row seat, my eyes darting back and forth from an earthly king to the One who created him, I am mesmerized by the wrestle taking place.

An Egyptian king refused to give up power and control and had no idea that his heart was in the hand of the Almighty, who could harden it, soften it, turn it, or stop it in the blink of an eye. This king was never actually in control, and had no power with which to hold God off. He only thought he did.

(I wonder if that’s us as well… fighting to hold onto control that we never had in the first place.)

The frogs died and Pharoah’s will did not, so bring in the gnats. As it turns out, gnats were the limit of the king’s magician’s dark magic. Who knew? To their credit, they did tell Pharoah that the gnats were from “the finger of God”, but their words fell on a hard heart. Take a seat, magicians, your job here is done.

Flies are now taking the stage, and God is about to change things up. “But on that day I will give special treatment to the land of Goshen, where My people are living; no flies will be there. This way you will know that I, the Lord, am in the land. I will make a distinction between My people and your people. This sign will take place tomorrow.”

Do you know that God has made a distinction between you and those who do not know Him? You are different, and I pray you stay that way.)

Let the negotiations begin! First, Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Go sacrifice to your God within the country.” No can do sir, because we’re going to kill things that you think are sacred and that’ll start a riot. We’re gonna have to leave the country, go for a 3 day walk.

Ok, fine. Don’t go far. And say a prayer about all these flies.

Flies leave. Pharoah’s rebellion stayed behind and changed his mind. Let My people go is a hard no. Oh Pharoah. Bless your wicked little heart. You’re about to learn such a hard lesson. God is coming after His people and you, sir, do not stand a chance. His victory is certain. But I guarantee that by the time this story is over, you will know that there is but one God, and He is more powerful than you ever dreamed of being.

Roughly 1500 years after the exodus from Egypt, Christ was born and once again, God was coming after His people to rescue them from slavery. Victory was and remains certain.

Today is a good day to remember that you have a mighty God with power that can be met by no man. You have a God that has come after you in a spectacular display of love to rescue you, and now calls you His own. You are safe. You are loved. You have been fought for by the Creator of heaven and earth.

I Am Not The Anointed One

He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Christ.”

John 1:20

John the Baptist had been sent by God to be a witness, to testify of the Light, to carry a message of repentance and baptism, and to call people to turn back to God and to prepare the way for His Messiah.

But John had no Savior complex. He knew who he was, and who he was not. He was not the Christ, (anointed one).

And I thought of the people that have come in and out of my life over the years. The ones I thought I could change. Fix. Be the solution they needed. These people have included my husband, my kids, family members, friends. All the people. I wore their problems and their hurts like they were my own and in the end, they were still broken and I was exhausted.

Through a long process I am learning to do things differently. To untangle myself from things that are not mine to hold or carry. To have compassion without needing to have the answers. I still don’t do it well, which may be why God needed to give me the words I need to speak to my own soul.

I am not the anointed one. I am not the Savior.

We are His witnesses, and we carry the message of salvation through the gospel, but we are not the Christ.

We cannot save anyone. We aren’t anyone’s greatest need. We cannot fix what is broken. But if we don’t remind ourselves of who we are, and who we are not, before you know it we are neck deep in someone else’s brokenness, trying with all our might to save them, change them, or convince them.

We can invest ourselves in the lives of others, but doing it without taking on the weight of their lives requires that we know the difference between bringing them to Jesus, and trying to be Jesus for them.

I am not alone. Many of us are fixers by nature. Helpers to the core, because helping someone else, having, or being the solution to their problem, meets some kind of need in us.

We can help, but we can’t be their hope. We can walk with them, but they cannot need us more than they need Jesus. We can speak truth, but we can’t obey it for them. For their sake and ours, we have to freely make our confession:

I am not the anointed one.

Genesis 43—Suspicious Grace

Now the men were frightened when they were taken to his house. They thought, “We were brought here because of the silver that was put back into our sacks the first time. He wants to attack us and overpower us and seize us as slaves and take our donkeys.” Genesis 43:18

Joseph had already been good to his brothers the first time they came to Egypt seeking relief from the famine. Of course, they didn’t know he was their brother just yet, but they did know that for some reason, they were receiving extraordinary treatment, and it made them uneasy.

Remember how the brothers responded to Joseph’s harsh words on their first trip to Egypt?

They said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that’s why this distress has come on us.” Genesis 42:21

Guilt can make us assume that anything negative we are going through is a punishment, and cause us to suspect anything good that comes to us. That’s how I lived for many years, even after I was saved — assuming God was mad at me for all of the bad things I had done. And when something good did happen, I nervously waited for some mysterious “other shoe” to drop. Today, I can’t say that I fully comprehend the forgiveness that God has given to me, but I have learned to trust it.

Joseph’s brothers were unaware of how his heart was moved by the sight of his youngest brother, Benjamin, his brother from the same mother (I couldn’t wait to use that line). They has no idea the longing in Joseph’s heart to have his family restored. And because they don’t know his heart, they made assumptions that stirred up their own fears and suspicions. But perhaps it wasn’t just Joseph’s heart they didn’t know…

He replied, “Peace to you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has put treasure in your sacks for you.” Genesis 43:23

The kindness that Joseph showed his brothers in returning their money to them, was actually attributed to God, yet they remained fearful that something bad was happening to them because of what they had done to Joseph.

Sometimes, I think we struggle to see past ourselves enough to really see God. And when we do catch a good look at His grace, we see it through the filter of us, so it looks distorted. Suspicious. Like something we know good and well we don’t deserve.

If we want to see grace as it really is, we have to stop making it about us. He is full of grace. He is generous and He is kind, and His heart longs for restoration, not punishment.

He didn’t become that way for us. It was His image long before He made us in it.

Living His Truth: Crucified

When a woman sat in front of me last year wrestling with her life, she said that someone kept telling her that she needed to live her own truth. Man, that just got my hackles up and they still haven’t gone down. Angry, is what it made me, because that “live your own truth” thing is a lie from hell sent to mess God’s people UP. So I’m going to address it the only way I know. A screen and my keyboard and the Word of God opened up in front of me. This series will be called Living His Truth.

And He said to all, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. – Luke 9:23

And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. – Galatians 5:24

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. – Galatians 2:20

In all honesty, if I live my truth, I’m going to avoid any hint of denying myself or being crucified. My truth tells me to avoid pain, to avoid discomfort, to avoid not getting my own way. My truth is to live in whatever way feels good to me, whatever agrees with my flesh, my feelings, my emotions, my whatever. Because the heart wants what it wants. The problem is that our hearts are wicked and deceitful above all things. (Jeremiah 17:9)

Living my own truth is why I needed to be saved.

Let’s visit the garden, just for a moment.

“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. {Genesis 3:4-6}

See what he did there? He convinced her that God’s truth wasn’t her truth. And he’s still doing it today because why fix what works?

I don’t get to live however I want to live, if I call Jesus Lord. Following Christ means I follow Him to the cross and I crucify whatever my own will calls truth, and I choose to live according to His truth.

Let’s recap.

My truth will lead me to live my way, not His. Therefore, I can conclude that my truth is not actually true, because if I am walking in the truth, I will walk in the ways of God, who is Truth.

If my truth is not actually true, then I do not have my own truth, I have my own lie.

Moral of the story? If someone is telling you to live your own truth, they are telling you to live a lie. Don’t do that. Deny “your own truth”, pick up your cross every day, and follow Jesus.

We are His people and part of that privilege is that we choose to be crucified with Him so that we no longer live, but He lives in us.

And Jesus will never live our truth.