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Palm Sunday: Misunderstood Triumph
La Basilica di San Francesco d’Assisi, Assissi, Italy.
Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples 2 and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. 3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’” 4 And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. 5 And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6 And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. 7 And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. 8 And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. 9 And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”
11 And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve. – Mark 11:1-11 [ESV]
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Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
5 “Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” – Matthew 21:1-11 [ESV]
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28 And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’” 32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. 33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” 35 And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. 37 As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, 38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out. – Luke 19:28-40 [ESV]
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12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” 14 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,
15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion;
behold, your king is coming,
sitting on a donkey’s colt!”16 His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. 17 The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. 18 The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.” – John 12:12-19 [ESV]
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Messiah has come! Rejoice! Our Saviour is here.
The Jews were expecting a military overthrow of their oppressors. They didn’t realize Jesus had come to overthrow our real oppressor: sin.
He came to bring freedom, but not like the people expected.
He came to make a way back to our Father. He came to save us.
By the end of the week, there would be violence. But not from a coup.
Today was a day of misunderstood celebration. They missed that Jesus was riding on a humble donkey, not a noble steed. The palm fronds beneath the colt’s feet – a sign of victory – were being trod on by humility.
Jesus is indeed King. But what He gives His people is so much more, so much grander, som much more valuable, that anything we can imagine.
We misunderstand sometimes, too. That’s why we to seek Him first and foremost, in all things, and trust in His will and direction, not our own.
A REALLY REALLY BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!
THE BOUVILLE DIARIST YOUTUBE CHANNEL HAS LAUNCHED! Please check out the first podcast at https://youtu.be/AFiQQLR51Mc
Please visit, subscribe and share with anyone you know who could use some encouragement. After all, that’s why The Bouville Diarist exists – to bless, encourage and strengthen believers in Jesus Christ.
Thank you for being part of the Bouville family!
Stop Buying the Monkey Chow: Lessons from an Imaginary Primate
The fear of man brings a snare,
– Proverbs 25:29 (NKJV)1
But whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.
If he had a name, we never knew it.
How he got down there, we’ll never know.
My brother and I never saw him, but we knew he was there. We heard him through the vents. We saw what appeared to be claw marks in the wood stairs. We even smelled the faint aroma of must and decaying banana peels wafting up from the beneath the floorboards.
He was there alright. Lurking. Waiting. Scheming. Planning for the day one of us would wrangle up the courage to dare go downstairs.
We had a monkey living – thriving – in the dark, dank basement of our childhood home. He lived on bananas and the flesh of small children. This is why, when I was five, my parents had to sell the old house. I’m sure Mom or Dad went downstairs to grab a can of green beans only to hear the monkey’s raspy whisper: “Get out of the house.”
That monkey is the reason I could never read the Curious George books. It’s why, as a teenager, I would shudder with a cold spinal shiver every time “Shock the Monkey” came on the radio. To this day, I can’t go in the primate house at Como Zoo without great trepidation.
Poltergeist had nothing on this terrorizing, child eating primate.
In our minds, he was real.
As I grew up, that dread of fear never really left me. We moved away from the monkey, but the monkey never moved away from me. I was afraid of everything. I remember when I was about eight – three years after we moved into our new, basementless house – feeling extremely anxious one night because I had inadvertently brought home a library book.
A reference library book.
You know, from the school library shelves of books that should never, ever leave the library, on pain of whacks.
I had broken the rules. Yes, I signed my name to the card inside the front cover and put it on the librarian’s desk. But I was sure that would not prove my good intentions to return the book on time and in the same shape I found it. Instead, it would serve as my signed confession of guilt. My death warrant. Death by paddle. A big, twenty-pound wooden paddle, with holes drilled in it to deliver the pain with stealth aerodynamics and grooves in the handle to provide extra grip for the school executioner. I was sure the last sound I would ever hear would be the whistle of the wind blowing through the holes in that oak instrument of torture as it sped toward my backside.
The next morning I went straight to the school library and, after carefully wiping down the book to remove any fingerprints, placed it on the return cart.
Not a word was ever said. The summons to the principal’s office never came.
The crack and sting of the paddle was not for my bottom to bear.
As an adult, the monkey continued to harass me. I feared so much in life. Eventually the monkey wore me down. There was no sense in trying anything. Every failure served only to prove the monkey was stronger than me.
Fear had a stranglehold on my life. It felt like everything I tried ended in failure. I tried so hard to overcome my anxieties. Yet I lived in fear of failure, fear of people (authority figures, folks I thought were above my station, you name it)…
Much later in life, I began to realize the depth of faith in God. I started to figure out that these awful things I felt, thought, believed about myself and my life were wrong. They were rooted in lies. They were founded on trying to do everything myself (after all, I had to prove my worth to everyone).
Here is the truth I’m finally getting into my thick skull: God is sovereign. Good is faithful. God is good. God is love. I can – must – trust God, no matter the circumstances. My knowledge is limited. God is omniscient. My strength wains. God is omnipotent. I spread myself too thin too often, trying to take on so much to prove my worth to myself and others (and even God!). God is omnipresent.
The only fear we ought to have is the fear – the reverential, awe-filled respect and recognition – of God, revealed to us through Jesus Christ and His Word. If I fear anything – or anyone – else, I’m telling the all-mighty God of the Universe, the Creator and Sustainer of All, that I don’t trust Him with my life. That He is incapable of taking care of me. That His Way is trumped by my own thoughts and feelings.
How arrogant of me.
It;s a matter of trust. Will I trust the lies of fear, rooted in untruth, unreal and inaccurate thoughts and feelings? Or will I trust the Lord, the Author of Truth? Today, I choose God. I repent of ever allowing that monkey to dig his claws into my back. I strive to seek the Lord above all things.
Do I fail? Every day.
Do I keep going back to Jesus? Every day.
Does He renew things in my life and continue to strengthen and guide me – even when the monkey comes back for a visit?
Every day.
I’ve stopped buying the Monkey Chow. You should, too.
Read the below Psalm. Then read it again. Let the words sink into your soul.
1 I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
5 They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces were not ashamed.
6 This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him,
And saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him,
And delivers them.
8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
9 Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!
There is no want to those who fear Him.
10 The young lions lack and suffer hunger;
But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.
11 Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 Who is the man who desires life,
And loves many days, that he may see good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil,
And your lips from speaking deceit.
14 Depart from evil and do good;
Seek peace and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
And His ears are open to their cry.
16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
To [c]cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears,
And delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart,
And saves such as have a contrite spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the Lord delivers him out of them all.
20 He guards all his bones;
Not one of them is broken.
21 Evil shall slay the wicked,
And those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.
22 The Lord redeems the soul of His servants,
And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.
- Psalm 34 (NKJV)
- Scriptures in this post taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ↩︎
- The picture of monkeys is actually a painting by Gabriel von Max: Affen als Kunstkritiker, 1889 Öl auf Leinwand, 85 x 107 cm – Neue Pinakothek, München {{Category:Gabriel von Max}} {{PD-art}} First uploaded to de.wikipedia 9 May 2005 by de:Benutzer:Luestling. Category:Primates in art ↩︎
Family Affair
By National Cancer Institute – This image was released by the National Cancer Institute, an agency part of the National Institutes of Health, with the ID 2716 (image) (next)., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24036618
12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
Colossians 3:12-15 (ESV)
A dear friend of mine once shared with me something his great-grandmother used to say: “Family should live far enough away that they need to dress up to see each other.” While I can’t tell you I exactly agree with her sentiment, it still makes me chuckle.
Family politics can be tough waters to navigate. Nothing stings like familial strife, disagreement, disappointment, insults or ill-treatment. As family, we should always have each other’s backs. It’s hard to do that when one feels that’s where a loved one has stuck the knife.
Squabbles and quibbles are commonplace in many families. Just because people share DNA doesn’t necessarily mean they always share values, worldviews, ideas, ideals… If anyone believes the Cleavers, Bradys or Waltons exemplify real family life, they are sorely misled and naive.
Here’s the thing, friends: we are called to forgive. We are called to love. Which means we need to remember what love is:
4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a (ESV)
8 Love never ends.
We cannot control how other people (re)act. We can’t control their feelings. We can’t manage their beliefs. We cannot undo what’s been done or said.
But we can control our (re)actions. We can choose to love despite feeling hurt or disappointed. We can opt to forgive instead of bearing a grudge. We can try to empathize and understand instead of responding with our own hurtful or spiteful words and deeds. We can reject the notion that we are right to not forgive. We can walk through life refusing to feel slighted, or cheated, or unappreciated, or ignored, or jealous, or vengeful, or __________________ (fill in the blank with any negative emotion you feel).
We can choose to love even if we’re not feeling the love. Even if forgiveness is never asked for or offered. Even if we feel so wronged that those who hurt us are undeserving of forgiveness.
Don’t take the enemy’s bait. He loves seeing families divided and destroyed by bitterness and hurt. Choose the better path: walk in love and forgiveness, as Jesus did. If you can mend the hurts, do so. If you can’t, you can still love and forgive and refuse to be led by unforgiving emotions. Unforgiveness only hurts the one refusing to let go of the grudge, not the offender.
Some hurts are too big to heal quickly. Some relationships may never be the same again. But remember… we – you – are loved by God to a degree no human – relative or not – could ever love anyone. It is impossible to earn love. And, thank the Lord for that because, if anyone ever had a right to not forgive, it’s Jesus. And yet He loves, forgives and restores us fully, despite our sins and failures.
Today, if you are holding on to bitterness or hurt or unforgiveness, please let it go. Make the choice to follow Christ and forgive. Love.
After all, as H.I. McDonnough (from the movie Raising Arizona) quipped in response to his wife’s complaint about their dysfunctional home life: “Well… it ain’t Ozzie and Harriet!”
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:14-21 (ESV)
Strength in Joy
Joy is central to the Christian experience. A close cousin to peace, joy is that sense of calm happiness that bears witness to the world of the wonders of faith in Christ. Regardless of the circumstances we face in life, we can still exude joy. Through pain, through sorrow, through hardship, through disappointment, through illness, through troubles of any and all kinds, we have hope in God – The One Who is sovereign over all.
Our joy is not rooted in our difficulties, but in God our Father Who leads us through life’s situations. In the LORD, we have hope over all circumstances. We have His wonderful promises to grasp onto tightly.
God is sovereign over everything. He is sovereign over our enemies. He is sovereign over our infirmities, He is sovereign over our families. He is sovereign over our work. He is sovereign our needs. He is the Only One we can trust entirely and completely in all things.
And God our Father loves us. He cares for us. He is with us through every storm. He never abandons us. He is always with us.
“The joy of the LORD is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:20b, ESV). Whatever’s going on, we can embrace God’s joy and find our strength in Him. When we’re filled with fear or grief or a troubled mind, we’re weakened by our troubles. When we choose to embrace God’s joy in faith, we are strengthened, finding our lives are actually filled with hope because of our Father’s love, grace, mercy, peace, strength, sovereignty, holiness, faithfulness, joy…
Paul reminds us in Philippians 4:4-7 (ESV), “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
We rejoice in the LORD Our Father. Nothing is beyond His ability. And, when others see us waiting patiently and joyfully on God, we are an effective witness for Jesus. When we choose joy over anxiety, our faith grows. And we are able to inspire and help others to find strength in God as well – finding joy for their lives and helping others do the same.
Rest in Jesus. Trust in God. Walk in His joy. You are loved far more than you can imagine!
Monkey Brain Sufferers – We Have Hope!
Affe mit Schädel (Ape with Skull) by Hugo Rheinholdt (c. 1893). By Jfderry – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31511541
“…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” – Phillipians 4:9-9 (ESV)
Monkey Brain noun (muhng-kee breyn)
- A form of brain damage caused by repeated overstimulation of the cerebellum, stemming from a gluttonous mental diet of news and opinions (mostly opinions misrepresented as news) and pop culture.
- An epithet for one who is exhibiting symptoms of Monkey Brain.
Monkey Brain (toxicus cerebrum primatus) strikes when one’s mind is blinded to the Truth by drowning in a constant sea of media, flooding in from the eyes and ears, filling the cranial cavity of the infected victim with a stream of “woke” and “fake news” misinformation, cloaked as fact. Common symptoms include confusion, loss of common sense, inability to see God at work in this world and overly opinionated expressions of political and social views (presented as absolute fact, with or without solid proof).
We all suffer from Monkey Brain to one degree or another. We are all affected by our culture, by what we see, hear, feel, think and perceive. When what we believe is based on these factors and not the Truth as defined in God’s Word, our perception is really deception.
Monkey Brain sufferers often display behaviors caused by a focus on subjects that are either false or unimportant.
If any of the below questions concern you deeply, you may be suffering from Monkey Brain:
- What does Taylor Swift think about the state of the world today?
- Are UFOs real?
- What does Taylor Swift think about UFOs? Has she ever flown in one?
- Why are protesters blocking I-94 to speak out against the use of cotton fill to stuff teddy bears?
- What does Taylor Swift think about the use of cotton fill to stuff teddy bears?
- Should I start Christmas shopping this early?
- What does Taylor Swift want for Christmas?
- Are plant-based meat substitutions the way to go?
- What does Taylor Swift think about plant-based meat substitutes?
- What about Donald Trump? I bet he doesn’t eat plant-based meat substitutes.
- Will Elon Musk run the world someday?
- Will Taylor Swift run the world someday?
- Who will cause the end of the world? Iran? Israel? China? North Korea? Taylor Swift?
- What does Taylor Swift think about the end of the world?
- Is Putin real or AI generated?
- Is Taylor Swift real or AI generated?
- Is truth real or AI generated?
- What is real?
- What is true?
If you, like me, suffer from Monkey Brain, there is hope. There is a way to know the Truth, the reality of our situation, the outcome of the “unknown”, the source of – and antidote to – all our confusion and anxiety and worry.
The remedy for Monkey Brain is as follows:
- Read the Bible.
- Pray.
- Study the Bible.
- Pray.
- Seek first the kingdom of God – His will, His ways, His character, His sovereignty over all.
- Pray.
- Surround yourself with fellow believers who will help you stay focused on Jesus.
- Pray.
- Mind what you feed your mind – what you watch, what you read, what you listen to, what you accept.
- Pray.
- Stop believing everything as reported. Not all of it true. Not all of it is important. Reject the toxic and embrace the Truth of God as revealed in the Bible.
- Pray.
Do not be deceived (Matthew 24:3-5, Mark 13:5, Luke 2:1-8, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 and 15:33, 2 Thessalonians 2:3, Colossians 2:8, Galatians 6:3-7, Ephesians 5:6, Romans 1:26- 27, James 1:13-22, 2 Timothy 3:13, 1 John 1:8 and 4:1, Revelation 12:9). Recognize that the insanity swirling around us is nothing more than “wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains” (Matthew 24:6-8, ESV).
And know this. The media feeds us information, some factual, much not. God doesn’t call us to know everything. We aren’t meant to understand it all. We are created to believe, to walk in faith in God through Jesus Christ. What we see on this earth doesn’t have to make sense. God’s way and the ways of this world are in opposition.
Am I suggesting we stick our heads in the sand, ignoring what’s going on? Absolutely not. All I’m saying is trust God in all that’s going on. Recognize He is sovereign over all – even those who do not accept Him as Lord and Savior. Don’t believe everything you hear, read and see. If it isn’t the gospel, don’t take it as such.
Now, I need to grab my Bible for my Monkey Brain therapy.
NOTE: I do not have anything against Taylor Swift. You can insert the name of any celebrity and it will have the same result. God is still sovereign.
Resolutions (or, Mann Tracht, Un Gott Lacht)
German half-hour sand glass, first quarter of the 16th century, bronze-gilt and silver-gilt, Metropolitan Museum of Art, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”
Proverbs 16:9 (ESV)
“Mann Tracht, Un Gott Lacht.” Or, “Man Plans, and God Laughs.”
Old Yiddish saying
2023 is speeding toward its inevitable conclusion, and our thoughts now turn to hopes and prayers for the soon-dawning new year.
Plans and resolutions.
So much we want to accomplish.
I have a list of goals – not “resolutions”, a term that makes me a bit squeamish because it doesn’t carry the same weight of intentionality as “goals” – for the new twelve months.
I’m going to need to start right away on 1 January 2024.
- Create a Daily Bible Reading Plan that will deliver maximum impact for effective spiritual growth. (Or is that effective impact for maximum spiritual growth. Or effectively im;pactful to the max.)
- Create and launch The Bouville Diary podcast to reach millions of listeners with the message of Christ’s love, grace and peace.
- Write a best seller (ECPA, New York Times and Bono Indiana Picayune charts) that will also deliver maximum impact for effective spiritual growth for millions of people. (Look out, Max Lucado.)
- Have above best seller published in 52 countries, translated into a minimum of 52 languages (including Budukh, spoken by only about 200 people in Azerbaijan, according to UNESCO).
- Travel the world by boat (I don’t like flying), visiting all seven continents and personally seeing to it every nation has heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
- Broker peace in the Middle East and Asia. (To be done concurrent with aforementioned evangelical world boat tour.)
- End hatred, racism, drug addiction, homelessness, cancer and all other nefarious diseases, broken families, greed, corruption…
- Take away all anxiety and worry, filling the void with God’s peace.
That’s just a partial list. I left out the more personal items (weight loss, reading a book a day, training myself to eat beets without gagging, etc.). I also didn’t mention bringing an end to reboots of old TV sitcoms, but that seems fairly insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
I’m being a bit facetious here. Ok, maybe more than a bit. My intention is neither to belittle these very important subjects, nor to offend anyone. My point is, simply, resolutions and goals are great. But if we make our plans without the Lord’s direction, we strategize in vain.
And while these lofty goals are noble and good (except perhaps the sitcom reboot thing), I believe my efforts would be far better focused on the below:
- 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” – Matthew 22:37-40 (ESV)
- 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. – Matthew 6:33 (ESV)
- 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:4-8 (ESV)
- 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. 7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. – Proverbs 3:5-8 (ESV)
Instead of grand plans and resolutions, perhaps simply following and focusing on Jesus is a far better path. He will lead us to opportunities to bless. He will take us where we need to be if we follow His path in faith. Our call is to love God, love others and share the Gospel. If we are lead by God’s love with pure motives, we will succeed in playing our part in God’s plans.
Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established (Proverbs 16:3, ESV).
I Hear the Train A-Comin’
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
Proverbs 3:5-8 (ESV)
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
It will be healing to your flesh
and refreshment to your bones.
I think this picture is a fair representation of the world today. Don’t you?
Life can feel so out of control.
Troubles all around the world (Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine, Russia, China, Taiwan, Iran, etc. etc.),
AI.
Political shenanigans (on all sides – no finger pointing).
Violence on the rise.
People divided by racism, by religion, by politics, by economic status, by social status…
Noisy protests, counterprotests, protests against protests…
A Frasier reboot without Niles Crane.
The world has become such a scary place that one major online news outlet has a special link to stories about “extreme weather”.
Doom and gloom abound.
But, read this: we have no reason to fear.
Let me repeat: we have no reason to fear.
Why is that? Only God is sovereign.
What does that mean? It means God is in full control, and we are not.
It means “our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases” (Psalm 115:3, ESV).
It means “the heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps” (Proverbs 16:9, ESV).
It means God knows what He’s doing, and who are we to question His wisdom and ways. Romans 9 lays this out for us.
We are not in control. And that’s good news because it appears the engineer has jumped off the screaming disaster-bound locomotive.
We are not omniscient. We don’t know all the facts, nor do we know what’s going to happen in five seconds, let alone tomorrow. Nor are we omnipotent. We cannot thwart God’s will. Likewise, we are not omnipresent. We are bound by physical limitations, whereas God sees everything, everywhere, at all times past, present and future, laid out before Him. He is absolutely boundless and beyond our comprehension.
God is in control. We need to trust Him in all things great and small, personal and worldwide, for everything is in His hands. No matter how dire circumstances may seem. No matter how hopeless it all appears.
And God loves us. He offers us forgiveness, strength, peace, grace, hope, direction… everything we need. Don’t trust in what you feel. Don’t let fear, anxiety or worry grab hold of you. Pray with expectancy, thanksgiving and faith. Trust in God. Focus on Him and know it’s all OK.
Out On Open Water
The gospels give us two different accounts of Jesus on the Sea of Galilee. In the first (Matthew 8:23-27), the disciples are in the boat with Jesus when a raging storm comes up, threatening their lives. As the disciples are panicking, Jesus is in the back of the boat, sound asleep. When they wake Jesus, He gently rebukes them (“O ye of little faith”), then commands the storm to stop.
Which it did.
Immediately.
In the second (Matthew 14:22-33), Jesus sends the twelve out on the sea without Him. Again, the winds blow up, threatening to capsize the boat with the disciples aboard. Out on the choppy swells they sea what they think is a ghost. The “apparition” is no apparition at all.
It’s Jesus.
But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
Matthew 14:26-32 (ESV)
Notice a few things:
- In both instances Jesus was in the storm with the disciples.
- In both instances Jesus recued the disciples.
- In the first instance, Jesus led them into the storm, and stopped the storm immediately.
- In the second instance, Jesus bid Peter to walk through the storm. Peter was fine as long as he kept his gaze on the Lord. But, when he took his eyes off Jesus, Peter began to drown. When he cried out “Lord, save me!” Jesus did just that. Immediately.
- In the first instance, Jesus spoke to the disciples, saying “O you of little faith”. When He rescued Peter, Jesus repeated the phrase to him. And then, just as before, He calmed the storm. This should have served as a reminder to Peter about the first storm Jesus saw them through – emboldening their faith even more.
There is a lot to glean from these two passages in Matthew. But the point I’m making here is the simple / obvious one: we’re going to have troubles in our life. Circumstances are sometimes going to be ugly. Even when you’re far away from the relative safety of the shore, the LORD is in the boat with you. The wind and waves are under His control. Whether He stops the storm immediately or calls us to walk through it, He is there.
There is no reason to fear any storm in life. The LORD is in the boat with us. Focus on Jesus, not the troubles. Stay the course with God and know it’s all OK. It doesn’t matter how your bad your situation may seem, it’s all in God’s hands. Rest in that knowledge. Praise God for Who He is. And keep your eyes on God.
The Bouville Diarist 