Relationship Building

 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.  Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  Matthew 28:18-20 

Do you ever go into a pre-planned conversation and it changes midstream?  Every so often, I will get into a situation where I am focused on a specific discussion, and then right in the middle of it, something changes.  Either the mood shifts, or maybe you hear something that makes you say to yourself, “You know?  Now is probably not the best time for this to be said.”  It could be with a spouse, child, friend, and even coworker.  No matter the person, there is a sense that causes us to shift gears on the fly.  Why is that?  It has to do with the relationship built with that person.  Sure, there are time where we can clearly see it’s a bad time to ask someone to hurry up when they are sobbing.  But other times, we know the other person well enough to gauge the timing of something good to say vs. bad.  When to console instead of being critical.  When to have a lighthearted laugh instead of bringing up a serious conversation.  You are committed to that person’s wellbeing even when they are not directly in your presence.  The deeper it is, the greater all of the above applies.  It’s all about relationship building. 

We should continually check where we are in our relationship with God.  I picked the verses today not because of its focus, which most would know is ‘The Great Commission’ or the end of the book of Matthew.  Today, the view is the culmination of a well-established relationship built between Jesus and His disciples.  They had been through so much together.  There was the beginning where each of them chose to follow Him.  The many miracles witnessed like turning water into wine, watching Gentiles call Him the Messiah, the many healings, and yes, the betrayal and eventual crucifixion all were part of their journey.  There was a lot of joy and pain all in a relative short period of time.  Yet, after the resurrection their bond was stronger than ever.  And Jesus leaves them with the words of, “go and make disciples of all the nations.”  I ask myself when I think of Jesus, do I think of Him just when I need Him?  Kind of like my daughter when she wants the new AirPods?  Or am I laughing when He teaches me something?  Like when my wife shows me she is my better half in a funny way?  You see, when we are only doing God as a ritual and when something is wrong, that may be honoring Him, but it is not a growing and fulfilling relationship.  If you have a dull day and look to God and say, “You know what?  This was pretty bland, but I know better days are ahead.  I am grateful you are with me.  I pray I have done good by you today, and just know I’m thinking of you.”  That does not have a lot to it, but a relationship is not about excitement or fireworks.  It is about showing up each and every day and acknowledging the other’s presence.  While decorum and respect for God is an important part of our relationship, being loving and kind I would argue rates higher because one, they are fruits of the Spirit and two, it comes from a heart for God.  I noted ‘for God’ as Ezekiel 36:26 says, “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.” 

God is delighted when we are invested in Him.  Earlier this week, I read about the baptism of Jesus, and how God said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.” (Mark 1:11b) While we are not the Son of God, we are God’s children, and He delights in us.  Our journey of faith is a continuous relationship building exercise in understanding why He loves us so much, and in doing so, we find an even greater love for Him, ourselves, and others.  Let us focus on our continual spiritual growth to build a healthy relationship with Jesus just as His disciples did.  Where are you in your relationship with Jesus?  Are you focused on ritual-based or authentic relationship with God?  My prayer is that we do some additional relationship building with Jesus today and beyond.  Amen. 

Territorial

You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.  You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me.  But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.  Exodus 20:4-6

Funny story about my wife and me.  Early in the spring, we went to a new breakfast place.  As we sat down, I saw a young lady from work that I said hello to.  The lady responded saying, “Hi, Kent.”  Without hardly missing a beat, the young lady looks at my wife, and says, “Oh!  Hello!  We just worked together.”  My wife has this astounding look on her face as if to say, “What did I do?”  However, I know my wife.  It seems like there is some unwritten girl code about not to be too friendly to another woman’s husband, and my wife must have given a certain look to remind her of it.  I laughed as she continued to deny the charges that I in no way had levied against her.  However, I understood her.  There is no doubt how much she loves me.  The way she puts it is that she’s not jealous of anyone, but she may at times be a bit territorial.  I smile with adoration knowing this.

God’s jealousy is out of love.  Not fear.  We often see jealousy as a self-centered ‘I am insecure and you do not want to see me angry’ type of jealousy.  That is simply not true.  I was listening to my pastor’s sermon this weekend, and he brought up a great point about God’s jealous streak.  He loves us, but not like the ‘I’m leaving for work.  I love you, honey’ kind of way.  It’s better described as the ‘You are the air that I breathe and when we are apart I am dying inside’ kind of love.  Yes, this does seem extreme, but here’s the thing.  In talking about the love of Jesus Christ, Paul wrote, “And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.  May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully.” (Ephesians 3:18-19a)  God’s jealousy takes on a different light here.  This Commandment that God gave to Moses was not a ‘bow down and worship’ Commandment.  It was a ‘my love for you and my people is so great, it should be cherished’ Commandment.  God could at any time send us into an uncontrollable tailspin for our sinful ways, but instead, He chooses to love us incredibly, mercifully, and unconditionally.  This is why our love for Him should be greatest because there is no doubt we are unworthy of it but yet, He gives it to us anyway.

Our relationship with God is a love story.  I was once told by a great pastor that the Bible is about how God lost a people, and through Jesus Christ, He wants us back.  It should be truly humbling to think that the God who created the earth, the God of awesome wonders, and the true Holy and Living God thinks so highly of you and me.  He loves us so that He gave His Son’s life for us.  So, let us embrace this love He has and all that comes with it.  How can you see God’s love even in His correction of your wrongful ways?  How can we appreciate His jealousy for what it is?  My prayer is that whether we are right or wrong, we lovingly appreciate that our God at times will be ‘territorial.’  Amen!

Precious Possession

But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.

    O Israel, the one who formed you says,

“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.

    I have called you by name; you are mine.

When you go through deep waters,

    I will be with you.

When you go through rivers of difficulty,

    you will not drown.

When you walk through the fire of oppression,

    you will not be burned up;

    the flames will not consume you.

For I am the Lord, your God,

    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

I gave Egypt as a ransom for your freedom;

    I gave Ethiopia and Seba in your place.

Others were given in exchange for you.

    I traded their lives for yours

because you are precious to me.

    You are honored, and I love you.  Isaiah 43:1-4

At the end of last year, I decided to get my daughter an iPhone.  I had told her that if she did well with her grades for the semester, she would get one, but I really wanted her to have it as a gesture of kindness because she’s my daughter.  Spoiling her?  Sure, some might say that, but regardless of anyone’s view, she’s still my daughter, and I love her unconditionally.  She knows it even when she is upset after being disciplined or getting a reprieve.

God’s love for us is beyond doubt because He gave to us without condition.  Last week, I spoke of a father’s love as to our focusing on relationship with God to not disappointing Him.  Today, I want to spend more on this relationship, but focusing on God’s love for us.  Through Jesus Christ, He paid ransom for our sins.  We neither earned it nor can we repay it.  It is a gift for the opportunity to have Him with us.  Today’s verses are further proof of Jesus being both God and with God, but the focus today is on how God makes it clear that He is with us in trouble and difficulty and oppression and pain no matter what.  Why is this important?  In the last part of the fourth verse, God answered “because you are precious to me.  You are honored, and I love you.”  Meditate on that for a moment.  The God of wonders, the Alpha and Omega, the great ‘I Am,’ says we are precious to Him and loved.  To fully understand the depth of this is twofold.  First, we can walk boldly with confidence that we are indeed valued by the greatest of all.  Second, we are to be humbled knowing we not only are not deserving of this but also are no better than anyone with or without salvation.  It may seem like a delicate tight rope to walk, and you are right.  We must let the love of God give us strength and the grace of God make us humble.

God has wanted a relationship with you all along.  Even when we feel off the train tracks in our relationship with Christ, remember that He paid the ransom in His blood so that we could be one with Him no matter what.  And He did it for the simplest of things; love.  That is why we should not focus on repayment.  Rather, our relationship is as a statement of devotion and love for Him.  Let us cherish the selfless act of God who loves us no matter what.  What level of reflection will you have in your relationship with Christ?  How can your understanding of being His make you both stronger and more humble?  My prayer is you remember that you are God’s precious possession.  Amen.

A Father's Love

Then the brothers killed a young goat and dipped Joseph’s robe in its blood. They sent the beautiful robe to their father with this message: “Look at what we found. Doesn’t this robe belong to your son?”

Their father recognized it immediately. “Yes,” he said, “it is my son’s robe. A wild animal must have eaten him. Joseph has clearly been torn to pieces!”  Then Jacob tore his clothes and dressed himself in burlap. He mourned deeply for his son for a long time.  His family all tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “I will go to my grave mourning for my son,” he would say, and then he would weep.  Genesis 37:31-35

I remember when my youngest daughter was growing up, and she struggled to enunciate words.  She had a speech impediment, and it made it very difficult for us to understand her.  It also had to be frustrating to her because we often struggled to get her what she needed.  As a father, you struggle because you see how your older children were able to easily do things, and this young adorable child would cry as you fought to get her to that same understanding.  It saddened me because at times I feel I was too hard on her.  I still can see the pained look on her little face and her tears when she felt I disappointed her.

Today, I can’t get her to shut up.  Now I have to fight her about keeping her room clean and why she got put out of Social Studies class.  “I was in the right, Dad,” she would explain.  She’s taller than me, and she loves to wrestle with her Dad.  Not because she’s fragile.  She’s a base for a cheer team and arguably the strongest of them.  But in a way, it reminds her how her Dad will always fight for her.  It may be just a small reminder that I love her.  And I do.  I would be so incredibly sad without her.

God loves us such that He too would grieve if He lost us to the world.  In the story of Joseph in Genesis, he is sold into slavery by his own brothers.  The focus is not on Joseph in these verses.  It is on Jacob, his father.  As his children deceive him about his favorite son, Joseph, we see the level of sorrow with Jacob.  This is incredibly sad, and one might wonder how to endure such grief.  As we look at our relationship with God, we are right to focus how we should better serve Him.  Loving Him above all things, loving others as ourselves, and breathing life into His word through our actions are just some of the many things we do as proof of our servitude.  But what if we reflect not on our own actions but also how God would feel?  What if our actions disappoint Him?  What if we chose not to follow Him?  Yes, God punishes us for our failings, but as our Heavenly Father, we must realize our failings disappoint Him as well.  When making decisions, we should take time to reflect on what impact it has on our relationship with God for He loves us more than we can ever imagine.

You are a precious gift of God.  Jesus in the ‘Parable of the Lost Sheep’ said, “… it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish.” (Matthew 18:14b)  Our relationship with God hinges heavily on our willingness to submit to His will.  Our successes brings us toward a more rewarding relationships.  Our failures bring us opportunities to grow.  But whether we succeed or fail, let our understanding of the depths of our Heavenly Father’s love be a driving force in our actions.  How can you meditate on the love God has for you?  How can what breaks God’s heart be motivation in your life?  My prayer is that we never forget what it means to have a Father’s love.

The Trick Question

Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them.  But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 

Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”  Luke 5:29-32 

Have you ever had a trick question?  Here’s a good one.  Adam’s mother had three children.  The first child was named April.  The second child was named May.  What was the third child’s name?  I would of course think of June.  That would be the wrong answer because if Adam’s mom had three children and are the other two are named April and May, the only one left is . . . Adam.  Sometimes people can solve it just by reading it as is.  Other times, things are a bit more complicated.  For example, as Christians, we know we are saved through Jesus Christ.  But once we are saved, does that put us in a place higher than those who are not?  Well, we are given grace through Jesus Christ, and submit to God.  That puts us in a place other than those who have not made that choice.  But does that really make us better? 

We must always remember that although we are saved through Christ all are worthy of God's love.  In reading the story of Levi's conversion, we understand that Levi was a tax collector.  In those times, they were considered the ‘worst of the worst’ people.  Like last week's devotion, we find the Pharisees looking on with disdain questioning why Jesus would hang out with such people.  Jesus answered, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”  Now that sounded like He was out to save Levi and the other non-believers.  However, here’s the trick question. Did this mean the Pharisees did not need to be called because they were righteous?  The answer is no because we know that all fall short of God’s glory!  This means Jesus calls all people regardless of whether they claimed Christ or not.  We might see others who do wrong or are openly living in sin, and not feel they are worth our time.  However, we are to remain humble recognizing that we too need Christ.  We grow in Christ, and we have a heart for Him.  The key to avoid the trick is not substituting us being in a better place by knowing Christ for us being better because we know Christ. 

We are all equal in the eyes of Christ.  Yes, we are thankful for the gift of grace given by God.  That gift is special to us, but God makes each of us special. If we love others as we love Him, others will see how special they are too.  That’s how Jesus saw Levi and his friends; special people who just needed to know how special they were to God.  Let us remember this seeing those like us as brothers and sisters in Christ and those who have not committed as people who need to know how beautiful and special they are to God.  Who can you share the love of Christ with today?  How can you see others unlike you as Christ saw Levi?  My prayer is that we recognize how we all need Jesus Christ, and not fall for ‘the trick question.’  Amen.