The Case for Vulnerability - Pt. 1

That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.  2 Corinthians 12:10

A group I was in had a conversation about the topic of ‘vulnerability.’  This is a topic that I am very passionate about.  I am so passionate about it that I wrote about it once in a devotion a couple of years ago.  That did not get a lot of traction not only as a devotion but also in the conversation.  A lot of it has to do with how it has been defined as many people define vulnerability as weakness.  I once thought that way.  Then I found out something.  The less vulnerable I made myself to others, the less authentic I was.  I became less caring and dare I say dishonest.  Not just with others but more importantly myself. I believed I could handle everything.  “You can’t break me,” I thought.  What’s worse, I placed that framework on others.  Thus I became less forgiving and more judgmental.

Shortly after being born again, the script began to change.  Rather than try to hide my vulnerability (very trusting and emotionally caring such that it could be taken advantage), I opened my heart up to those who I knew.  Did this mean I was disappointed at times?  Yes. In fact, one of my greatest disappointments happened very recently where I ended up losing a friend.  However, it has not changed my willingness to be emotionally vulnerable.  Why? Because all of a sudden, I have a group of people who have become my closest friends, most passionate defenders, and most authentic relationships that one could ever have.  They are people who bring joy in my life, and while this sounds all warm and fuzzy, we actually have fights and disagreements!  But there is so much love and respect we have for each other that the bitterness never lasts.

I have thus come to realize that loving God requires utter and complete vulnerability.  Vulnerability does not make you weak.  Contrary to that thought, you gain strength when shown at the right time.  You will find that you become resilient in the face of uncertainty.  You find love in the midst of a great deal of pain, and trust me, you will have pain.  If you end up being vulnerable to those who matter the most, you all of a sudden realize you are courageous willing to put yourself out there where others are unwilling to and being more authentic than ever.  You find comfort knowing no matter how bad it is, God is with you, and from that, there is nothing you cannot overcome.

God loves us no matter what the world sees in us.  Someone once said, “Vulnerability is about showing up and being seen. It's tough to do that when we're terrified about what people might see or think.”  We must overcome this because it does not matter.  What's important is that showing vulnerability and owning that we are indeed weak alone but strong through Christ can indeed strengthen not only our faith but also how others view us.  What vulnerabilities do you have that you can tell to God?  How can you show strength through to others through your vulnerabilities?  My prayer is that we begin to make the case of being utterly and completely vulnerable to God.  Amen.  More on this next week!

Plain and Simple

When the Temple guards returned without having arrested Jesus, the leading priests and Pharisees demanded, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”

“We have never heard anyone speak like this!” the guards responded. John 7:45-46

I have grown to know that there are some things in life that are plain and simply true, and I do not need to test it.  For example, I have learned to trust my read on people.  I talk with them, and then observe them in certain situations.  Fairly soon, I have a beat on the type of person they are. There is no explanation that I have for this, and people ask me how I knew.  I don’t understand it, but have learned to accept that God gifted me in such a way.   As such, I have gained some really close friends because it feels like I knew them before we truly got to know each other further.

We know the validity of the word of God because it is proven beyond our natural understanding.  Today’s verses speak of Temple guards who do not arrest Jesus because of what they heard from Him.  Now in reviewing this, one might jump to the conclusion of, “Well what would you expect?  They had heard from Jesus!”  That is the simplistic way of viewing it.  We need to go deeper.  What did Jesus say?  (Anyone who believes in me may come and drink!) How did He say it?  (He shouted to the crowd)  This is nothing new from Jesus, and they knew their task was to arrest Him.  Yet, the Temple guards, with the simple task of ‘enforcing the law of God,’ would not perform their duty to arrest Jesus for violating their laws.  We know Jesus’ authority over all laws, but that’s a topic for another time.  Why?  The Holy Spirit had awaken within telling them what they heard was not from an ordinary man.  They had heard from the Son of God, and knew what He said was true!  If you think back to when you first heard from God, maybe you were a little messed up.  Perhaps your core belief structure shook, and/or your emotional grounding was thrown off.  God gave us His word for guidance, but He instilled the Holy Spirit within us to connect with and follow Him.  Put together, we know His word is true beyond a shadow of any doubt.

It has been proven time and time again that God’s word always has the answer for us.  We may have had a rough time adjusting to its truths, but we can walk with confidence and without fear for God has said, “The Lord is the One who goes before you.  He will be with you.  He will be faithful to you and will not leave you alone.  Do not be afraid or troubled.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)  That is a truth that you cannot just accept in your head.  You must fully embrace it in your heart, and then, the Spirit of God will flow from you for as Jesus said, “Anyone who believes in me may come and drink!  For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” (John 7:38)  What is God’s word challenging you to change today?  Where can His word be a source of strength and encouragement in your life?  My prayer is that with our heads and hearts we embrace God’s word as true; plain and simple.  Amen.

I Can Do It!

When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!”

But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!”

Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”

“Yes, come,” Jesus said.

So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.  Matthew 14:26-29

Last week, I felt entirely spent mentally having dealt with many things that had been going on in both the short and long term.  Even though I would like to think I have a pretty high threshold for taking on things, I was struggling to find a way to be energetic.  Fortunately my annual recharge known as The Leadership Summit ended the week, and as usual, it greatly uplifted my spirits.  While there were typical well renowned speakers that gave great informative talks, it was a gentleman from Nigeria (Sam Adeyemi) who gave me the greatest pause for thought.  He provided a different spin on an old story.  He spoke on the story of Peter walking on water (Matthew 14:26-31).  As Christians, we tend to focus on the moral of the story, which is to have faith in Jesus.  While that is true, the story is also a reminder how Jesus encourages us to do His will.

Jesus wants us to know that we can do anything through Him.  We already know of the literal words of Paul in Philippians 4:13 (For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength).  The story of Peter walking on water with Jesus is a prime example of this.  Peter could not visualize how he could walk on water.  However, Jesus, the great leader He is, does not try to teach Him to walk on water.  Why?  First, Jesus is already standing on the water as proof that it can be done.  Second, He knows Peter’s heart, and understands the faith he has in Jesus.  What Peter lacked was the confidence that he could do it.  So Jesus says plain and simply, “Yes, come.”  This is Jesus being the encouraging force saying ‘if I can do it, you can do it!’  We often come across situations where we cannot see a clear pathway.  When God calls us to do something, we need not focus on the obstacles ahead or the lack of preparation we were given.  Like Peter, we must simply come to Jesus because if He says we can do it, we can!

God has given us everything we need to do His will.  Like most things with God, we must not focus on what we see.  We must trust in what He says.  If Paul focused on his circumstances (murderer of Christians) and education (not well versed), we would not have the majority of the New Testament.  When you find yourself stuck or struggling to achieve something God is asking of you, do not run to the corner of ‘failure’ and ‘disappointment.’  Trust in Christ not just in word but through His examples.  When is the last time you trusted God beyond what you could see?  How can you look less at circumstances and focus more on what God is asking of you?  My prayer is that we are encouraged by Jesus Christ to know that if He could do it, “I can do it!”  Amen!

Seriously?

One day the Pharisees and Sadducees came to test Jesus, demanding that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority.

He replied, “You know the saying, ‘Red sky at night means fair weather tomorrow; red sky in the morning means foul weather all day.’ You know how to interpret the weather signs in the sky, but you don’t know how to interpret the signs of the times!  Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign, but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah.” Then Jesus left them and went away.  Matthew 16:1-3

My eleven year old daughter really makes me laugh at how she tries to get out of the obvious. This phenomenon is not unfamiliar to any of you who have parented a child. The other day, an ice cream bar that I had been saving suddenly was missing. I asked my wife if she had eaten it, and she said no. Being that there are only three of us in the house, the finger naturally goes to my daughter. We asked if she had eaten the ice cream, and she said emphatically, “No!” My wife and I look at each other, and say, “Seriously?” While we had to hold her accountable and reinforce the importance of telling the truth, we continue to laugh about how ‘creative’ she was in trying to explain for the unexplainable.

This brings me to how we as believers encounter people who choose not to believe in Christ. We must without hesitation be able to confirm both His existence and truths. We encounter those who choose not to believe even though the signs are right there in front of them. The verses today refer to such a instance where the elite and knowledgeable sects of the Jewish faith questioned Jesus’ authority . . . dare I say again. This was after Jesus had (get this) fed 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish (Matthew 14:13-21) and then another 4,000 with seven loaves and a few small fish (Matthew 15:32-39)! So in reading Jesus’ response, we get the impression of ‘what the heck does He have to do to convince these people?!?!?’ Seriously? Rather than appeasing them, Jesus, the master that He is, tells them of the sign of Jonah, which referred to His own resurrection. This would be proof beyond all doubt of Jesus’ divinity. We are often presented with things where people will question the existence of the true living God. We must answer with a sound mind and heart not focusing on what we do not know (i.e. why a tragedy occurs). Instead, we must focus on what we do know (His grace, His word, the transformative changes in our lives). Only then are we able to be advocates for Him.

Our personal relationship with Christ answers all doubts of His existence. While nonbelievers may come up with evidence of His nonexistence, we know beyond question how real He is. Our mission is not to convince others of His existence. Ours is to be knowledgeable of it and present the evidence to them for their spirit within cannot deny it. Where do you doubt Christ’s existence and how will you address it? How will you without hesitation tell of Jesus’ existence in your life? My prayer is that we confirm our truths so when questioned of Christ’s existence, we simply say to ourselves, “Seriously?” Amen.

Full Confidence

We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it.  In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.  And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us.  2 Corinthians 1:8-10

Lately, I feel like my mind is in a maze from which there is no escape.  There are worries about family and work.  Then there has been the massive uproar on spiritual topics ranging from same sex marriages to The Ten Commandments being removed from a courthouse.  All of this comes in the aftermath of a church shooting, and many have said that with all of this happening the end of days is near.  It has left my mind and soul tired and fatigued.  However as I was feeling those things, I was reminded of the words of Isaiah 40:30-31, which says, “Even youths grow tired and wear, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”  And as I read those words, my strength and resolve to move forward grew, and the wisdom to find a way through the maze returned.

In times of struggle and turmoil, we must always have full confidence in the Lord because He is without fail.  There are numerous quotes of scripture that we should remember when overcome with fear and anxiety of the happenings in the world.  We need to focus on confidence.  Confidence not in what we see, but rather confidence in what we know.  We know that God is control.  Jesus said, “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.  But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33b)  Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.”  Finally, the Psalms of David remind us that “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.  He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.” (Psalm 18:2)

God is in always in control.  While much of what happens in the world may bring us grief and disappointment, we must continue to have surety in God to do all things.  So as many will worry about the laws of the land changing, we must remember the words of Jeremiah 31:33b, which says, “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts.  I will be their God, and they will be my people.”  Let the laws of the Lord we live by be forever in our hearts.  How confident are you in God’s righteousness?  What can you do to gain assurance in God’s all-knowing authority?  My prayer is that we, like Paul, have full confidence in God beyond our present circumstances.  Amen.

Calm Jesus versus Nervous People

I forgot to post this devotional to this website last Thursday... I'm sorry this is late!

As we look forward to celebrating Easter this Sunday, we can take some time to remember all Jesus endured leading up to His death and resurrection.
Tonight would have been the night Jesus was betrayed and arrested.
Matthew 26:47-56     
 While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. ⁴⁸ Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.” ⁴⁹ Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him. 
⁵⁰ Jesus replied, “Do what you came for, friend.”
Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. ⁵¹ With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
⁵² “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. ⁵³ Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? ⁵⁴ But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”
⁵⁵ In that hour Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me. ⁵⁶ But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.

What do you notice about Jesus during this whole interaction?
What do you notice about everyone else?

I see a very calm and confident Jesus who is sure of God's Sovereign power and plan.
I see very nervous priests and disciples who are trying to control situations with their own wisdom and strength.

Who are you and I like?
Are we more like calm and confident Jesus, who trusts completely in God?
Or are we more like the others who are trying to control situations in our own wisdom and strength?

Join me in thanking Jesus for calmly enduring all of this for your sake and mine!

Alice