Nothing excites me like talking about Jesus.  I love to hear testimonies of how the Lord absolutely rocks lost souls and brings hope where only despair once thrived.  I love seeing how God fixes broken lives and causes His people to transcend circumstances to see the reality of Christ (not the skewed view we perceive with our eyes and minds, as through a glass darkly). 

I mean, think about it: the God of the Universe – the Creator and Sustainer of all – the One Who has always been and always will be, Who is indeed Existence Itself – the Great I AM… He has known me for all eternity.  For uncountable eons before I was formed in my mother’s womb, the Lord has known me, intimately, because I am part of His plan – no matter how small and insignificant that part might be, I am a part nonetheless.

So are you, dear one.

You are God’s child.

He has always known you, always loved you.  He has always had a slot for you in this life, and sent His Own Son – Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Man, God Incarnate Who walked this earth for such a short time yet, through the Holy Spirit is still with us – to prepare a place for you with Him for all eternity.

Stop for just a moment and consider the very real ramifications of it all.  This is reality.  Not your circumstances.  Not your troubles.  Not your bills.  Not your ailments.  Not the bullies in your life or the job that drives you up a tree.  Not the family troubles that plague you or the perceived weakness and failures you have endured in this life.  The way you see your life, your situation, yourself, is not quite 20/20. 

Understand this, if you are a child of God – if you have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life and chosen to make Him Lord of your life, you are no longer lost.

You are not helpless.

You are not hopeless.

You are not Fatherless.

You are not cursed.

You are not your circumstances.

You are not what others blame you of being.

You are not the sum total of your sins.

You are not a failure.

What you are is the child of the One True God. 

12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16  The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. 26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32  He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34  Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised— who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:12-39 (ESV)

Let all that soak in for awhile.  It is a lot to take in.  And I plan on digging deeper into these verses over the next several weeks.

Can we talk?  God loves you.  I don’t know what you are facing, but He does.  I don’t know the circumstances that led you to where you are now, but the Lord understands.  I do, however, know that the answer to whatever ails you is Jesus Christ.  You can find it in His Word.

So, please… repent and ask for forgiveness.  Seek God first.  Pray.  Rest in Him.  Ask.  Seek.  Knock.  Love the Lord and those around you. 

And know that you are loved.

Sleep well, brothers and sisters. 

And get excited to talk about the Lord and all the wonderful, amazing things He has done in our lives – in your life.  Let Him stir you up.  Let your faith flame burn bright and hot!

More again soon. 

Good night, dear ones.

5  “These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. 9 Acquire no gold nor silver nor copper for your belts, 10 no bag for your journey, nor two tunics nor sandals nor a staff, for the laborer deserves his food.” – Matthew 10:5-10 (ESV)

I do not pack light.  When we travel, I lug as much reading and writing material as I can.  In fact, come to think of it, I do not pack light when I go anywhere.  I always want to be ready if and when the opportunity to write or study comes along.  So I lug a lot of stuff around.

Our lives are like that, aren’t they?  We tend to lug a lot of stuff – much of it junk – around with us, everywhere we go.  I read Matthew 10 and I think, “What??  Go out in the desert and walk from village to village with no money, no extra clothes, not even a walking stick?”  If I leave the house without my cell phone, I practically break out in hives.  But… no wallet?  C’mon, Jesus… what are you up to?

Let me ask you: what do you need?  I mean really, really need.  There was a time when I would have said, “Cable TV.  We gotta have cable.  What if a big storm comes up?  I need to protect my family, so I need to be able to watch the weather radar and see if a tornado is coming.  What if some big world event takes place?  I need to stay informed.  What if TBS runs a 24-hour Friends marathon?” 

OK… I could care less about the sitcom reruns.  But, think about it… if the storm is so big that the power goes out, there goes the cable.  If some world event occurs that is so massive we need to be alert, being glued to the tube isn’t the action.  Besides, what can I do sitting on my sofa, worrying and stewing about something I have no control over?

Bingo.  Therein lies the rub.  We all have worries aplenty.  What if we don’t have enough in our 401(k) to retire?  What if I can’t pay these medical bills?  What if my child doesn’t improve his behavior?  What if she can’t get into a good college?  What if our country goes over the “fiscal cliff”?  What if this job interview doesn’t pan out?  What if… what if… what if…  If we follow the trail of “what ifs” – the worries, the fears, the things that wake us up at 3am – we will often find our perceived needs.

Or, rather, our perceived lack.

Later, when Jesus was gathered with His disciples one last time, He reminded them of their first venture out as His apostles. 

35 And he said to them, “When I sent you out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything?” They said, “Nothing.” – Luke 22:35 (ESV)

What did they lack?  Nothing.  Did they eat five-star meals and stay in fine hotel suites?  No.  Did they go hungry?  No.  Were their needs met?  Absolutely.

The point Jesus is making is this: all His children need is Him.  The LORD is our sufficiency.  As Jesus told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness: (2 Cor. 12:9, ESV).  We lug around a lot of junk, and – time to get metaphorical – I don’t necessarily mean physical, tangible things (although most of us have way too much of that as well).  Memories, hurts and fears, scars from situations we have faced, sin, societal pressure, peer pressure, work pressure, disappointments, grudges… Some of us are like big, emotional pachyderms: an elephant never forgets.

We don’t necessarily need to forget.  But we do need to learn to lean on God’s grace.  We need to trust in the LORD, have enough faith in Jesus to know He cares for our every true need.  We need to develop a faith in Christ that carries us through this path of life that each of us walks.  And, as we meet one another where our roads intersect, we need to help one another.  Support one another.  Encourage one another.  Love one another.

Love one another.

Today, I want to challenge you to consider your needs.  Are they real needs, or deep desires masquerading as a “need”?  Is your head sore from beating against a stone wall trying to fulfill a “need” all on your own?  Is there a need in your life that is too big for the God of the Universe, the Creator and Sustainer of all, Existence Himself?  If Jesus can raise Lazarus from the grave after four days (remember, Lazarus stunketh)… indeed, if Jesus Christ Himself can endure the beating, scouring and crucifixion, only to rise again on the third day, overcoming death… do you suppose He can meet your needs? 

Do you suppose when Jesus says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matt 6:33-34, ESV), maybe we should heed His Word?  He is no liar.  He is no deceiver.  Take God at His Word.  Trust Jesus.

The LORD is truly all we need.

(Postscript: By the way, we did ditch cable.  Well, we knocked it down to the basic local channels.  But we also bought a Roku.  Progress is sometimes very slow…)

28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. 30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. – Isaiah 40:28-31 (ESV)

So many people I love are hurting right now.  As I mentioned in my last blog post (“Under Pressure”), the source of the anxiety and pain and worry ranges from sickness and injury to family troubles to financial and employment issues to mourning the loss of a loved one.  I wish I had a magic wand that I could wave in the air and make all this sorrow and hurt go away.  I wish I could take away your pain.  I wish I could make your circumstances alright.

Since I have neither a magic wand nor the ability to wipe clean the slate of your life, I want to use what I can to reach out to you and help you.  What I have – what we all have available to us – is the power of God through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. 

I want to help you find the strength you need to face life’s trials and difficulties.  And that strength is found through faith in Jesus Christ.  It comes from resting in the Lord and knowing – trusting – that God transcends circumstances. 

At our Men’s Bible Study this morning, we finished John 19 – the account of the crucifixion and death of Jesus.  We discussed how unimaginable His pain must have been, on so many levels: humiliatingly stripped naked, beaten and scourged, huge spikes driven through His hands and feet, raw flesh rubbing against splintered wood beams, crown of thorns shoved into His head, thirsty, exhausted, slowly suffocating, abandoned by all but one of His disciples… I cannot imagine the sheer and utter agony and exhaustion of the experience.

And yet… on the third day following His horrific execution, Jesus Christ arose from the grave!  His physical, mental and emotional strength had been drained.  But Jesus didn’t need physical strength to rise from the tomb.  He shows us that, look, if I can be brutally executed and win victory over death, raising back to life within hours – at just the right time.  Now that is strength!  And it isn’t natural strength, but the power of God.

Look… God knows what you’re dealing with.  He knows your situation.  He knows what has you troubled, or burdened, or mourning.  He know what you are facing because He has faced it. 

Consider this: if Jesus can overcome death, do you suppose He can help you in your present situation?  “But I just don’t see a way through it.”  God does.  He knows.  He cares.  He loves you.  He may not hurry you through your dark times, but He will see you through them.  There is a light at the end of your tunnel.

And, no, it is not an oncoming train.

I want you to know that it’s going to be alright.  If God is for you (and, if you have faith in Him, He is), who can possibly be against you?  Who can stand against the Great I AM?  I am just about willing to bet that none of us have – or ever will – face a situation as terrible, as gruesome, as painful, as unjust, as the one Jesus faced.  And yet, through it all, the Son of God knew Who was His strength, and Who was in control: His Father.

Our Father.

Your Father.

It is why Paul wrote:

9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. – 2 Cor 12:9-10 (ESV)

There was purpose in the persecutions and pains that Paul faced.  The Lord didn’t lift him out of all his discomfort and pain.  But, because of the power of Christ, Paul was able to live in lack as well as in wealth.  He was able to sing and praise God while imprisoned in a dark, dank Roman jail.  He was able to carry on despite painful physical afflictions and frequent threats on his well-being.  Paul could never have made the transition from Pharisee / Christian hunter to beloved apostle without the power of God.

Today, I want to encourage you to stop relying on your own strength.  On our own, none of us has a chance.  But, by the grace of Almighty God, you will make it through this crisis, the moment of great loss and sorrow, this pain and sickness.  Seek God first.  Ask for His strength.  Believe – know that you know that you know – that circumstances are never permanent, but the love of Christ never fails and the power of God never ends.

Don’t let what your facing sideline you.  Stay strong in Christ.  Stay in the Word and stay on your knees.  Do not for one second take your eyes off Christ.

Know that you are loved more than you can imagine.  Know that you are not alone, nor are you the first person to face whatever it is you are facing.  And know that I would consider it an honor to pray for you.  Just e-mail me at christophercourtney@comcast.net or drop me a message on Facebook.

Until next time… sleep easy.  Rest in the Lord.  Trust in Him.

I wouldn’t call it an epiphany.  The moment wasn’t quite that earth shattering.  But… it was an awakening of sorts, and eye-opening, a moment of clarity.  Jen and I went out on a much needed, long overdue date last night.  We were talking about the people we love and how it seems that everyone is facing some life issue: illness, death, children, fracturing families, finances, unemployment… you name it. 

And then God gently convicted me.  He reminded me of some things He and I have discussed.  He showed me where I have not heeded the very words I have shared with others.  He humbled me lovingly and once again showed me that it is perfectly okay not to be perfectly okay.  Troubles are often the medium the Lord uses to shape us, form us, mold us into the the people He would have us be.

In the primate house at Como Zoo, there is a plastic injection molder that will make a toy for any girl or boy with two quarters.  The machine has a two-piece steel mold made in the shape of a monkey.  The two sides clamp together with great force and molten plastic resin pours inside.  Water sprays onto the mold, cooling and hardening the formed poly primate.  The pressure releases, and what was once nothing more than plastic pellets has been superheated, put under great pressure, and cooled to create a fun object for kids to enjoy.

Here is the deal.  We are all under pressure of some sort.  But we must not be so quick to seek relief.  At just the right time, God relieves the pressure and cools us with water (metaphorically folks).  And we discover that we are no longer what we were at the beginning of the process (which usually begins with a trying life situation).  Rather, we have been transformed into something – someone rather – who is far more useful, far more understanding, far more equipped for _____________ (you fill in the blank).

Seek the Lord.  Always.  First.  Without ceasing.  Keep your eyes on Jesus Christ and Him alone.  Don’t focus on the problems.  Focus on The Solution: Jesus Christ, our LORD and SAVIOR!

As my pastor says, you are loved.

31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” 34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. 38 I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.” – John 8:31-38 (ESV)

As Americans, we cherish the notion of freedom.  It is an ideal we hold near and dear.  While we do not have the framework of reality on this subject that our forefathers held nearly 240 years ago, we recognize – on some level – that we have a lot more freedom than many in this world.  In fact, despite our love of freedom, we take our liberties for granted an awful lot.

When Jesus talks of freedom, He is not speaking in political or social terms.  Were this the case, Paul and Silas would never have been imprisoned.  Nor would John and Peter.  Rather, Jesus takes a different point-of-view than the average person (and, after all, why should we expect anything else?  He is God Incarnate!  His worldview is not ours, although ours should be His).  Jesus is looking at the eternal, where sin imprisons us not only on this earth (sometimes in the form of some habitual back-riding monkey; sometimes in the ruins of destroyed lives and families; sometimes literally imprisoned), but condemns us to the most horrible of consequences: eternal separation from God – or, if you will, hell.

Freedom in Christ is a gift of God’s grace, a forgiveness of our sins, an empowering to do His work, and an ability to follow Jesus and love one another. I find it quite comical that the Pharisees’ retort to Jesus is, “We’re Abraham’s seed!  We’ve never been enslaved!” (v.33). Either these learned men aren’t as educated as we think, having forgotten all the OT teaches about the division of Judah and subjugation by the Babylonians.  Or they are more dishonest / delusional / bind to reality than we realize.  (Personally, I lean more toward the blinded option.)  Notice the subtle yet telling wording of verse 38: Jesus listens to and follows His Father (with a capital “F”).  The Jewish leaders do likewise with their father (small “F”).  It is a condemnation that Jesus made all the more plain a few verses later:

42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. 43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47 Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” – John 8:42-47 (ESV) (italicized emphasis mine).

Evidently, absolute truth does exist.  What’s right for you is what’s right for me, and that’s what God says is right.  It’s not legalism.  It’s love.  Once we realize – at least as much as our limited cognitive abilities can realize – that Jesus set us free for all eternity to be who God created us to be, to live without fear of falling or failure or fatigue of this life, we can begin to grasp the depth of what Paul meant when he wrote:

1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. – Romans 8:1-8 (ESV)

If you are “in Christ,” following Him, letting the LORD be the guide of your life, then live in that freedom.  Let no man ensnare you with legalism.  If someone judges you unjustly, remember that accusation and conviction are two very, very, entirely different things.  If Jesus does not condemn you, who is any man to judge?  Follow Jesus as revealed in God’s Word.  Seek His truth and guidance in all things.  Be prayerfully ready, in season and out, to hear what God has to say. 

Cast your cares aside!  In Jesus Christ, YOU ARE FREE!

On September 23, 1846, the world was introduced to Neptune.  All we new at first was that the eighth planet in our solar system existed.  Over years – well over a century, in fact – the more time and technology astronomers invested in the exploration of Neptune, the better we got to know her.  We discovered she had a moon (Triton).  Then more moons.  We figured out that one Neptune year is roughly equal to 165 Earth years. Then, in 1989, we were able to encounter her closely via Voyager 2.  We found her to be a beautiful blue hue.  Drawing nearer, we found her to be very stormy, with winds that exceed 1200 M.P.H.  We discovered her exact chemical makeup.  Rings, first thought to exist in the 1960’s, were confirmed by Voyager 2’s visit.  We even got to know her “children” (her moons), discovering her largest (the aforementioned Triton) to be volcanic. 

Relationships are built in much the same way.  We meet people and get to know a little surface level information about them.  We invest time and treasure in developing the relationship.  After some distance, as we draw closer to one another, we discover deeper truths about each other.  We find common threads that connect us.  We truly get to know one another.

Warts and all.

This is where relationships get tricky.  As we grow together, we discover the icy aspects of our friends.  We find out what makes them tick, both good and bad.  There are great times together and tough times together.  And, sometimes, relationships get rocky.  Disagreements and misunderstandings arise.  But – if love is truly present in the relationship – what stays at the forefront of our minds is not the poisonous atmosphere, not the storms and gales, not the volcanic eruptions.  We remember the beautiful blue hue, what attracted us to the other person in the first place.  We remember our common thread – even if the only common denominator we hold is Christ.  We understand that they are no more perfect than we ourselves are.  We are quick to forgive.  Even when we feel we are right, have been wronged and have every reason to hold a grudge, we need to remember what Jesus said to Peter:

‘Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?”  Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.’ – Matthew 18:21-22 (ESV)

The message is simple: love one another.  As Sara Groves sings, “In the end of your lives your relationships are all you’ve got.”  They are worth the investment.  They are worth the travel, no matter the distance to be spanned, to fortify and repair and deepen. 

Is there somebody you need to forgive?  Do it.  Swallow your pride.  Let go of the anger.  Let go of the hurt feelings.  Let Christ be your guide.  It doesn’t mean you allow yourself to be hurt or taken advantage of again.  But never, never – never – allow bitterness and disagreement and misunderstanding undermine or destroy your relationships.  Let Christ lead.

Relationships can be messy.  But, instead of wallowing in bitterness, be understanding.  Bear one another’s burdens.  Love one another.

Love one another.

“Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)” – John 18:10 (ESV)

Every Monday morning, the members of the Pre-Dawn Theological Society rise early to meet at 6:30am for Bible study.  We started doing this in May 2011, with a study of the Gospel of John.  Now, sixteen months later, we are still studying John.  (We are in no particular hurry, relishing every chapter and verse of the fourth gospel).

One of the most astounding aspects of the Bible is its economy.  There is not one wasted word.  Not one trivial verse.  Nothing is unimportant.  Every word is significant.  Even the ones we don’t quite understand, or for which we lack a historical background.  This fact hit me square between the eyes as we studied John 18.

Sometimes we miss words in Scripture.  We hit upon a portion that grabs our attention, and breeze past the remainder.  Consider John 18:10.  Everyone remembers that Peter lobbed off the ear of the high priest’s servant.  How many people remember that the servant’s name was Malchus?

What do we know about Malchus?  Only what we know from Scripture:

1. He was the high priest’s servant. 

2. Peter performed an earectomy on the guy.  (By the way, do you really think Peter was aiming for his ear?  Evidently Peter was a lousy swordsman.) 

3. Jesus healed Malchus’ ear.

4. John remembered the man by name.

That’s it.

In fact, the details seem to reveal themselves a bit incrementally.  Mark tells us someone nearby swung the sword.  Matthew reveals it to be one of Jesus’ followers.  Luke adds that Jesus’ healed the servant’s severed ear.  But John…

John does what makes his gospel so unique.  He fills in the blanks.  He gives the hitherto unrecorded details.  It is John who tells us that it was Simon Peter – impetuous Peter – who was the swordsman.  And, John tells us the name of the victim: Malchus.

So… why does John consider it so important to tell us the name of this otherwise unknown servant?  Why does he give us such a meaningless detail while not informing us of Jesus’ miraculous reattachment of the ear?  We must remember that John’s gospel was written much later than the other three “synoptic” gospels.  John was most likely aware of at least one (if not all three) of the other gospels.  As I mentioned in the paragraph previous, I firmly believe John’s purpose – at least in part – was to fill in the gaps, so to speak.  John is telling us things the other three do not.

By the last decade of the first century AD, when John probably penned his gospel, the story of Jesus in the garden was most likely widely disseminated.  To John’s original audience, the healing of Malchus’ ear by Jesus was probably well established fact.

Most likely, John is showing his original Greek and Jewish audiences that this is not merely a story.  This is not allegory.  This is a real event, and the name of the servant was Malchus.  He had a name.  He was a real man.  Jesus really healed him.  The Greeks would have appreciated the facts of the matter.  The Jews would have now seen Malchus as a human being with a name, not just Caiaphas’ servant.

Perhaps Malchus was known to the early Christians because of the healing touch he received from the LORD. Maybe he was known as the guy who had his ear put back on by Jesus. Maybe Malchus, in the ensuing chaos of Jesus’ arrest and trial, managed to escape and spent his remaining days telling people how Jesus Christ miraculously healed him.  Who knows? 

The main point I’m trying to make is this: don’t speed through the Bible.  Don’t cruise through the verses on auto pilot.  Stop.  Absorb.  Question.  When you read something that makes no sense or seems to have no real importance, stop and ponder it.  Study it.  There is more there than meets the eye.

Why did John feel the need to point out this servant’s name was Malchus, even some sixty years after the event took place?  Because the scene is so important, so vital, so hopeful… it deserves to be recognized as the very real historical event it was.  And it needs to be remembered as such.

Here is one of my favorite adult education faith lesson illustrations.  Ask for two volunteers.  Cover volunteer #1’s eyes tightly, ensuring that they are entirely unable to see.  Volunteer #2 has to lead their blind cohort across the room, from point A to point B, in a convoluted, curvy path, with many unexpected turns.  Along the route knees get bumped, toes stubbed, chairs knocked over.  But, eventually, by blindly following the hand he has grasped, our blind volunteer arrives safely at his destination.

Voilà!  Faith illustrated. 

Whether we care to admit it or not, none of us is master of our fates.  We have no real control.  For some people, that is a very depressing proposition.  Personally, I am grateful that, ultimately, I don’t call the shots.  Plotting my destiny is way out of my pay grade.  Why do I say that?

Simple: God is God, and I am not.  I am flawed and imperfect.  I cannot see one second in front of me, nor do I – with my limited human cerebral faculties – possess the ability to perceive with absolute 100% accuracy the events of the past or evaluate my present situation.  Lots of pollution clouds my view: emotion, ego, tiredness, background, lack of all facts, bias, acumen…  All these factors make perfect perception impossible for me.

Don’t grin.  You’re onboard the same boat as me.

And I would hate to think that I – or you, or any other human being – was at the helm of the boat.  Guaranteed, at some point in our journey of life, I will blindly run the boat aground, our fall overboard into a frenzy of hungry sharks, or somehow pilot us into some great catastrophe.

No, I am grateful – ever so – that God is in control.  He is not my co-pilot.  I am not even allowed in the cockpit.  And I am fine with that.

Except… I am also human.  There are times when, despite my appalling lack of credentials, I feel the need to wrest control of the wheel from the LORD.  “You’re not working fast enough.  I know how to get there!”

Swerve.

Crash.

Iceberg.

Just call me H.M.S. Titanic.

It is always best to be sure one is following God.  He is the One with the plan.  He is the One Who sees all, knows all, can do all.  He is the Great I AM THAT I AM.  In other words, He is Existence Itself. 

Still, in my limited human view, it can be very tough to blindly follow a deity I know exists, but I cannot see.  When times get tough, clinging to Christ can be tough.  I tend to get in touch in my inner Peter.  “Sure I’ll walk out on the water.  Cool, look at me!  Wait… was that lightning?!  Help, I’m sinking!!”

And Jesus saves.

And I believe.

My point this week is simple: have faith in God through His Son Jesus Christ.  Grab His hand and let Him lead you through this life.  You’ll bump your knees, stub your toes, knock over some chairs… Hey, that’s life.  But don’t look at all your circumstances.  Look to God, keeping your focus squarely on Christ, in faith, knowing that the Lord God Creator and Sustainer of All has you firmly in His grasp.  There is nothing you cannot face, knowing God is in control and has a plan for you.

Rest well tonight, friends.  You are loved – more than you know.

by Chris Courtney

Call it what you want…

An “A-Ha!” moment.

Getting it.

The illumination of understanding.

God whacking me over the head until I get it through my thick skull.  (That would explain the headaches…)

The moment of clarity.

A theme repeated throughout one’s day (or week, or month, or lifetime) that may seem coincidental, even serendipitous.  But… I believe it is one of God’s wonderful ways of getting our attention.  After all, we are His children, and the LORD instructs, directs and corrects His children.  My five year old is a very bright young man.  But… I can tell him five times in the span of as many minutes (or sometimes far less), “Do not throw kitty in the air!  He will not stick to the ceiling!  He’s going to scratch you!”  And, despite my repeated warnings, guess what he keeps on doing… And, guess what the cat does when he lands on my son…

(NOTE: My son has never actually thrown any of our animals in the air, or even attempted such a stunt.  I use this merely as a fictitious, humorous illustration.  Writing about my boy taking daring leaps off the sofa in his Batman cape isn’t nearly as funny.  No animals or children were harmed in the writing of this post.)

Jen and I’s running joke about our son is that his listener is broken.  He hears… but he doesn’t always take heed to what he hears.  He doesn’t apply the lessons he is hearing.  The moment of clarity comes when the cat is hurdling downward toward his upturned head, legs sprawled out and claws at the ready for whatever – or whoever – he may land upon.

My simple point is this: if you keep hearing the same Scripture (or Scriptural theme) repeated over and over (and over) from disparate sources, and you feel it is confirming a suspicion you’ve had about yourself for awhile, and – this is the most important part by far – it all lines up with the Word of God, you may want to stop and listen. 

And prayerfully take heed of God’s Word, lest your upturned face become a claw-marked feline helipad.

Last night I grabbed a copy of the Tanakh (the Jewish Bible, JPS translation), settled into my grandmother’s chair and read the book of Amos.  (Now, before anybody gets the idea that I am boasting about having read an entire OT book in one sitting, bear in mind that Amos is only nine chapters long and a very easy read – even if you slow down to absorb the message, which I would hope we all do when reading Scripture!)

You gotta love Amos, the Non-Prophet Prophet.  You would have had to have been called by God to be an OT prophet.  Makes for a great episode of “Dangerous Jobs.”  Ride into town, give God’s Word to the people, find yourself boiled in oil or dismembered or being fated to any one of a number of painful, ghastly endings. When Amaziah seeks to run Amos out of town, I love the prophet’s response: “I’m no prophet!  Nor am I the son of one!  I’m just a shepherd and fig farmer.” 

Then Amos explains why he is in town to spread such a dire message of impending doom: The LORD told him to leave his flock and his figs and warn the people of Israel.  Let them know what’s about to happen.  Explain how their wickedness has led to this.  Make them understand their destruction is at hand.  And let them know there is still hope.

Hope. 

Israel has become deeply sinful.  Great gain brought with it great pride, immorality and faithlessness,  The rich prey on the poor.  Sexual immorality and “carousing” now prevail.  They are no purer than the godless nations that surround them.  Worst of all, God has been all but forgotten.  Service to the LORD has become empty religious exercise.  Does any of this sound familiar?

God has sent painful circumstances to get their attention: hunger, thirst, failed crops, locust… He is trying to get their attention.  The LORD is trying to get them to understand that they need Him.  They cannot simply rely on their riches and strength.  Does any of this sound familiar?

Since they refuse to turn away from their wickedness and turn back to God, He will destroy them and leave them for dead.  Israel will no longer exist in the form that it has.  Mourning and misery will reign. Indeed, very soon this all came to play when the Northern Kingdom was invaded and subjugated by the Assyrians.

But still… there is hope.

“Seek the LORD and live.”  If Israel will repent – turn away from evil and run back to God, wholeheartedly, truthfully…  they will live.  It is the same message Jesus gives us: “Seek first his kingdom, and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33, NIV).

Seek God’s ways first.  Follow His Word and do not reject it.  Do not follow the feel good path of self indulgence, but do what God calls you to do.  Seek Him and live!

Does any of this sound familiar?