Finisher

there is nothing sadder than seeing someone drop out of a race. We are competitive beings. but to start something and not finish without good reasoning is just sad. it is one of those moments where one might say: "now that i've dropped out of the race, now i'll never know if i could have won."

the thing about being in a race is that the competitor has an advantage over the casual sideline observer. while in the race, one can see the enemy face to face, smell the enemy, observe the enemy's game up close, but most of all one can see the finish line clearly.

anyone who drops out of a race knows the excitement of starting, but cannot experience the joy of conquering the finish line. be a finisher!

the writer of the book of hebrews compares our relationship with the Lord here on earth to running a race:

'therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.' hebrews 12:1.

it takes courage to run a race. sometimes one has to do practice runs, shorter races that prepare you for the bigger race. one needs to train and get in shape for the race. but everyone is required to race. are you ready to shake yourself loose of all those things that hinder you in the race? or will you let these weights hinder you from being a finisher?

sometimes it's not that you win, but that you finish and how you finish, and that is what makes all the difference.

questions
do you need courage to finish a race?

read
joshua 1:9

song in my head
'be strong and take courage. do not fear or be dismayed. for the Lord will go before you and his light will show the way...'

Active Prayer

the first thing i noticed about the western wall in jerusalem was that the people prayed with all their hearts. the men and women are separated by a fence. it was one of those moments where one would walk up to the wall in reverence for God. many foreingers place their prayer requests on scraps of paper and shove them into the cracks in the wall. above our heads birds nested in branches protruding from the western wall.

what if we prayed like this? it is a delicate dance between you and God. i watched these people, each one prayed with their whole being. moving forward, backward, sideways, and not caring about who saw them, not caring about their surroundings. no wonder God has such a special place in his heart for Israel!

what if we prayed like this? what is we prayed like it was the last thing we might ever do today? pray like your life depends on it! spend time with the Creator God of Israel. spend time listening, chatting, getting deep in the Word. dance with God, let Him lead you, let Him hold you, let Him carry you through as you pray.

when we left the western wall that day, we were told to back away. it was a sign that you were not turning yor back on God. this is how it is when you dance with God, when you pray it's always you and God face to face. don't turn your back on God since, He'd never turn His back on you. dance with God today, get into some active prayer!

questions
when was the last time you prayed freely, actively? will you dance with God today? he beckons you, let Him lead you!

read
2 Samuel 6:12-15

s ong in my head
'prayer still works! if you get up early in the mornin'! prayer will make you push through!' -wow! gospel 2010

Back In the Valley

moses had a mountaintop experience! he is one tough old man. he hikes up mount sinai to fast and pray for more than 40 days and nights. now, i'm not sure what fasting and praying meant to moses. if he fasted at all, whether he passed on the matzo bread completely, if he only drank water, or if he did what i call the ghandi fast lemon juice until the cows...well, i don't know about that one. but you get my drift...

moses went up and talked with the Lord about as face to face as any human we know of to this day. moses coould barely stand to be in the presence of God. he was overwhelmed by the glory of the Lord all around him. he had a fascinating revelation. God gave him the 10 commandments. every basic and ethical and humane law that we need to obey stems from these 10 commandments.

when moses was done fasting and hanging out with God, he was ready to go down the mountain. he had been chatting face to face with God for over a month! he was literally glowing! he was excited because he had received some very specific instructions from the Lord regarding the future of the children of Israel, God's people. but when he came down the mountain what did he encounter?

a holy mess. well, an unholy mess, really. there they were dancing around a golden idol and celebrating! they had forgotten their first love: God! moses grew angry and frustrated.

remember moses is human. he was a little hungry, tired from hiking, and writng down all of God's words to him. he probably just wanted a homecooked meal from his lovely wife, to hang out with his kids, and share with the people all the wonderful things God had told him. he came down the mountain and heard singing and he got all excited, but it wasn't what he thought. the people were dancing and celebrating around an idol with an altar next to it. the leadership had failed while he was gone.

sigh. it was several months of cleaning up from when he was on the mountaintop trying to get ahead with God. sometimes, it must have felt like one step forward, ten steps back.

it is amazing to be on the mountaintop and having that mountaintop experience. but when you come down the mountain, are you ready to rejoin society? LOL. you may have seen God, talked face to face with God, had a vast revelation of God, but what about back down in the valley? nothing has changed. maybe God took you up there because you are the change. and sometimes change must come slowly from the mountaintop to the valley. but regardless, change must come.

questions
when was the last time you spent sometime with the Lord?

read
exodus 20:1-21

song in my head
'i've been made free despite mine enemies!...God's grace and mercy were on every side!' -WOW! Gospel 2010

The Monday After...Peace

a week has passed. it's monday! this was probably the best monday in history ever! Jesus is alive! not only that, he is the King of all kings! he is the Man! he is the Son of God and he proved it beyond the shadow of all doubt. he's alive! yes!

now, the Bible doesn't mention it, but i imagine there may have been another impromptu parade for Jesus. he's walking down the streets of jerusalem, his old stomping grounds. the place where they hailed him as king, shouted hosannas, and the place where he was crucified in the worst way. but bazinga! after being in the grave for three days, there he was walking down the street in the flesh!

the crowds gather quickly: some screamed in disbelief, some did double-takes, others frowned and scowled at him, children ran up to him to touch his nail-pierced hands and run away laughing and cheering. his disciples held their heads up high as they walked alongside their risen King. the leader, prophet, teacher, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, who was thought to be so defeated is back like no one could ever believe or imagine!

ohhh, but the powers of darkness had been crippled! far below the nail-pierced feet of Jesus, satan sat in darkness. a look of awe is on his face. demons scurried around not knowing what to do. hell would never been the same. the Son of God came down with a shout. he burst through the gates of hell, walked up to satan and snatched a set of keys from his belt. there was a struggle...i don't have to tell you who won! but on the third day, he arose from the grave in victory with the keys of death, hell, and the grave in his right hand!

suddenly, it all made sense. the eleven disciples remebered everything he had said, everything he had taught them. it was time to grow up and become real men (and women) of God. it was the beginning of a new phase in their ministry with Jesus. what a wonderful peace, the kind that passes all understanding, that must have rested upon them.

"we must write this down," they say to each other.
"surely, this is the Son of God, and we have been in his presence!" said thomas.
"we will record everything so that we do not forget the love that he has for us," said john with tears in his eyes as they walked with Jesus on the streets of Jerusalem.

there were dried up blood stains along the via dolarosa, the path that Jesus took to calvary. a startling reminder of how traumatizing, how overwhelming, how amazing, how good last friday was. how precious is that flow of blood still! it was by his blood that we are saved, and by his resurrection from the grave that we can still celebrate and declare that he is indeed Jesus the Son of God. glory to God in the highest!

questions
does it mean something personal to you, that Jesus is alive? do you get so excited that you can feel it in your bones?

read
matthew 28, mark 16, luke 24, and john 20-21

song in my head
'He's alive! He's alive! He's alive and lives forever and so can i! He's alive!' -from the easter cantata at my church

At the Cross

today is Good Friday! yes! what a day in history! such wonderful things happened in the spirit world the very moment Jesus died on that cross! the devil himself was crippled. why? because Jesus took the keys of death, hell and the grave straight out of his grasp!
now, that means something really amazing for you and me.

by the way, death, what happened to your sting? and uh, grave? where oh, where is your victory now? Jesus, is our King and mighty conqueror!

i can now boldly approach the throne of grace. Jesus did it for me, for you, for all of us. now, i can talk directly to the Father. i'm there at the cross on the ground kneeling. my head is down and i am afraid to look up. the only words to escape my lips are:

"my Lord... and my God."

all i need is one drop and i am cleansed. the old things are gone, my sins are forgiven! grace, where would i be without your grace, Lord? i am immersed in your mercy! so amazing!

such mercy, such compassion, such love was shown on that cross. Good Friday is good because we cannot find another word to accurately describe it. but let me tell you, it was better than good.

Jesus the Lamb on the cross, the conqueror and Lion of Judah! he was like a lamb led to slaughter, a sacrifice, but also the high priest, the King who is able to go to the Father and pray on our behalf. Jesus is the conqueror like a lion, strong and bold.

as you see, i am at a loss for words regarding Good Friday. what can you say about the Son of God who came down in such love and compassion to die for our sins so that we could have life? it is simply overwhelming for me.

question
are you at the cross right now? what will you offer the King of kings today? will you give him your life?

read
john 19, matthew 27

song in my head
the only thing going through my mind is simply every song about the cross, the blood of Jesus and the price he paid for my sins.

movie suggestion
the passion of the Christ

Taking Care of Business

it is thursday. Jesus is taking care of business. tying up loose ends so to speak. he spent most of the week with his followers, healing preaching, teaching, getting intoverbal mazes with his accusers. but now it was time to spend his last passover meal with his disciples.

i do not know if i could stand to be in the presence of Jesus during this intimate time with his disciples. like peter i would feel so unworthy. Jesus washes their feet. he promises peace, most importantly, he promises the Holy Spirit.

Jesus comforts them with some of the most beautiful words i have ever read:

"do not let your hearts be troubled. trust in God; trust also in me. in my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, i would have told you. i am going there to prepare a place for you. and if i go and prepare a place for you, i will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where i am. you know the way to the place where i am going." (john 14)

Jesus prays for himself knowing what will happen in the next few hours and over the weekend. he prays for himself and for his disciples.

then the most astounding thing happens...he prays for us! this whole scene depicts his deep compassion for all of humankind. the entire reason he came to earth has amounted to thursday night.

what would you do in his place? cry? scream? curse everyone around you? throw things? yell at the sky? only Jesus could do it with such grace and dignity.

Jesus passed a cup around.

"take this and divide it among you. for i tell you i will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."

Jesus took the unleavened bread and broke it.

"this is my body which is given for you..."

the disciples watched their leader intently. why was there a sadness surrounding him? the crowds had hailed him as king just four days earlier, why was he worried?

the meal ends with Jesus singing a hymn. then off to the kidron valley where there was an olive grove where they could pray all night. Jesus prays, but is frustrated that his disciples cannot pray all night with him. they fall asleep. fully human. but the dark forces of evil were stirring agaist all that is divine!

suddenly life as they knew it changed forever. judas appeared with a crowd. an odd kiss 'hello'...a scuffle...a man's bloody ear...Jesus healed the ear... Jesus is arrested!

the disciples scatter in fear...my Lord, what is happening to my Lord? the people hailed you as a King just days earlier!...Jesus is taken to annas a realative of caiaphas. caiaphas had decided that one man should die each year for the sake of the people...what an odd decision to make at a time like that! not even knowing that it was Jesus who made the decision to die not caiaphas...the high priest interrogates Jesus...it was a cold night...so cold....a fire was built... "hey! aren't you one of them too?" a girl asks peter... peter denied Jesus...he runs aimlessy into the night...a rooster crowed...peter wept bitterly...how could i do such a thing? he thinks to himself....don't hurt him! don't you understand he is a king? he's my king!...i'm too tired for this!...give us back our king!...already? is the day dawining?... where did everybody go?...it's friday morning.

questions
have you spent time with the King of Kings today to hear his voice and hang on to his every word? do you need to go back to the heart of worship?

read
john 12-18

song in my head
'i'm coming back to the heart of worship and it's all about you, it's all about you Jesus. i'm sorry Lord for the thing i've made it 'cause it's all about you, it's all about you Jesus.'