When we read the scriptures do we miss the heart of God?

When Jesus changes water into wine at a wedding in Cana of Galilee according to John 2:1-11, our focus is  on the miracle of changing one substance into another, and rightfully so. But why did he perform the miracle? Was he drug into public ministry by his mother before he was ready?

We know that Mary, Jesus and his disciples were invited to the wedding feast. This could have been some relative, most certainly friends of Mary. The close knit community of Cana would have insisted that the entire community would be invited.

Not providing enough food and certainly not having enough wine would be a social disgrace. In closely knit communities of Jesus’ day an error like this would have followed the newly married couple all their lives. Wine was a rabbinic symbol of joy. Running out of wine would have suggested the guests, the bride and groom were not happy people.

Consider How a Jewish wedding took place:

The prospective groom's father first approached the girl's father with the proposal of marriage. If the girl's father agreed to the suggested dowry, the two men sealed the agreement with a toast of wine. 
 The prospective groom proclaimed his love and asked his love to marry him.  If she accepted his proposal the agreement was validated by the presentation of a gift, usually a ring, he said to his intended bride, "Behold you are consecrated to me with this ring according to the laws of Moses and Israel." 
 Arrangements were made right then concerning the terms of the marriage.  A written contract listed the time, place, and size of the wedding as well as recording the dowry and terms of maintenance of the marriage.
 The typical Jewish wedding took place at night.  As soon as any members of the wedding spotted the moving torches signaling the groom's approach, their cry echoed through the streets, "The bridegroom is coming."  The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia tells us, "Mirth and gladness announced their approach to townspeople waiting in houses along the route to the bride's house."  Upon hearing the announcement, the excited bride would drop everything in order to slip into her wedding dress and complete her final personal preparations for marriage.
    Instead of the groom entering the bride's house, the bride came out to meet him.  The two, accompanied by their wedding party, returned together to the groom's house for the marriage ceremony.  Following the public ceremony, the newlyweds entered their bridal chamber to be intimate with each other for the first time.  After this union, the groom came out and announced to the wedding guests, "Our marriage is consummated."
     Receiving the glad news, the wedding party began a "festive" seven-day celebration.  The celebration lasted seven days only if this was the first marriage of a virgin girl. The bride and the groom stayed with each other in seclusion.  At the end of this time of privacy for those seven days, the groom would present his unveiled bride to everyone in attendance.  The newlyweds then joined in the wedding feast with the guests.
 So consider the heart of a loving God:
Mary missed out on all the fan fare and attention of what would take place for a young Jewish girl, who no doubt dreampt of her own wedding. The honor and all the expectancy of a traditional wedding ceremony, all that a wedding ceremony meant as a believer in God. Mary was honored to accept the call of God on her life. But now at the wedding ceremony of a friend, all the memories of excitement, anticipation, joy, fear, and love had to rush into her heart and mind. Then the feeling of lost dreams, what could have been. What every little Jewish girl watched and dreamed of one day for her own life. Joseph now gone she was alone with no covering of a husband. No fond memories of that great day shared by a husband and wife.
God is a healer of our deep wounds with a touch of his hand. Sometimes he chooses to do something more for us that causes us to understand his love in ways that will speak to the deepest unspoken areas of our hearts that hurt beyond words.
 No wine for her young friend! Mary knew the shame that would come, the thoughts and the looks this young girl and her young husband would have to endure the rest of their lives. Mary felt the horror and feared the worst.
 Mary looks at her son, knowing who he is and that he was capable to take care of what was necessary, she says "there is no more wine!" Jesus told her very sternly, “woman, why are you dragging me into this, it’s not my time yet.” 
 Jesus performs this miracle for Mary. To touch the heart of Mary and to cause her to know that he knows she missed out on her childhood dream.
 I don’t want to miss the heart of God. He cares about lost dreams, and missed opportunities. Sometimes what look like the small things are the larger things and he knows that. I want to slow down and find God’s heart in why he did the things he did, not just that he did them.
He is there at all times, he sees our hearts in all things and he is able to touch us when and where we need him to touch us.
The thought of this moves me to greater trust in him.
 Thank you my brother Dale Brockett for dropping this in my heart. You are an amazing gift from God.

Growing in the Knowledge of God

It pleases God when we grow in knowledge of him.  Our understanding of growing in knowledge of anything is based on our concept of growing in knowledge not God’s concept. The only problem is we don’t usually get it.

Take a look at a couple of things the way God does. He says he has chosen the foolish and weak things of this world to confound the wise and the strong. Our concept is just the opposite. Only the strong survive, there is power in knowledge. These things are true but they refer to a life dependent on who we are and what we can accomplish, not of dependence on God alone. God also says the first shall be last and last shall be first and to be great you must become a servant. Sounds opposite again to what we were taught when we were growing up. How many times have we heard second is still second. No one remembers the person who finishes second.

I’m not advocating living a life shrouded in ignorance or not living a healthy life style . That would be ridiculous.I love competition and think it is even healthy. But it is not an end to meat all means.

  If we focus on an academic growth in our knowledge of God alone we create in ourselves the distinct possibility of self pride, arrogance and religious piety that will equal that of the Pharisees and Sadducees of the first century. Jesus spoke out very strongly against this attitude and lifestyle, he said "beware of the hypocrisy of the Pharisees."

When we are told to grow in the knowledge of God it isn’t just academic but relational as well.
When I was chasing my wife. Yes I said chasing. I wanted to learn everything about her so I could impress her and learn to please her. I wanted to spend time with her; wanting her to want to spend time with me. I figured if I knew what made her happy, figuring out what made her smile and laugh she would do everything she could to get more time with me. Soon I wanted to know how she thought and what motivated her to act the way she did. I wanted to avoid what made her mad or fearful. I wanted to know what her dreams and aspirations were. I wanted to know what made her who she is.

 This kind of knowledge is both academic and relational. The relational knowledge was and still is only found out by experiencing her, by spending time with her. After 32 years of being married to her the same holds true today as it did when the chase was a foot. As we both change through the years it requires me paying close attention to her and her needs, desires and dreams.   

 In Mark 4:35-41. Jesus had his disciples get in a boat with him. They set sail across the Sea of Galilee. As we pick up the story Jesus is sleeping and there is a squall that forms as they are in the middle of the sea, The wind is blowing and the waves were big enough to sink the boat. The disciples panic, now consider that these guys were seasoned fishermen. Some small amount of wind and waves wouldn’t have frightened them, Mark records that these guys were afraid for their lives. They wake Jesus out of a dead sleep, he immediately takes action and calms the storm, the waves subside and all is calm. He says to them “why are so afraid, do still have no faith?” Growing in the knowledge of God will cause us to call out to him first instead of panic first, because we learn we can trust him to keep safe us in all conditions through our journey as we walk with him.

God’s desire is always relational. He wants us to know everything there is about him. That’s why he put his Spirit in us. John 16:13-14 says: “But when He the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on his own initiative, but whatever he hears he will speak; and he will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify me, for he will take of mine and will disclose it to you.”

 God wants us to learn about him and experience him through an ongoing daily relationship. Growing in knowledge is very shallow if it is only academic and not relational. The depth of God is way too great for us to limit our knowledge of who he is that comes from what we glean academically alone, not delving into the depths of who he is through building a relationship with him. The written words he left for us will always keep us from getting off track relationally with him because of our emotions. Our emotions are a gift from him so we can experience intimacy with him. He is very balanced and will always keep us balanced if we stay consistent in our full knowledge of who he is. Always moving forward gaining more knowledge of who he is. Growing in relationship with him daily the way he intended from his early walks in the cool of the garden with both Adam and Eve.

Acknowledge him in all your ways and he will make your paths straight.

Submission

I find the word submission a difficult one to live by. The topic of submission is a common conversation among Christians, but not so quickly applied. The Bible has much to say about submission: “Wives submit to your husband’s in Christ, ‘submit to those in authority over you, ‘submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you, ‘you younger men submit to your elders.”

 The trouble is we don’t like to submit to the authority of God. We all like the idea and understand the concept of submission but let’s face it it’s not easy to do.

  This morning I came across the passage where Jesus comes John the Baptizer, in Matthew 3:13-17, to be baptized. John is taken back by Jesus’ approach to him. John knows Jesus as God. The one who has come to take away the sins of the world.  John makes the statement; “one is coming whose sandals I am not worthy to untie,” making it pretty obvious he had a full grasp on who was standing in front of him. John physically sees his cousin but the Spirit of God had revealed to him this was God incarnate. I love the statement Jesus makes in verse 15, “John for now this is the way it is, so we can fulfill all the necessary requirements of the law.” David Murrow puts it like this “it’s like a new golfer giving golfing lessons to Tiger Woods.” Are you kidding me? Do you think John was standing there scratching his head?

 There are times when God will lay something in our hearts that doesn’t seem to make any sense. In fact there are times when God asks us to do things that will make us look foolish or weak, or even to us like we might be in harm’s way. I recently experienced a situation like this. A long term situation has been brewing where I work; the situation was like a pressure cooker left too long getting ready to explode. A coworker who is a button pusher got out of hand. Last week things escalated to the point of getting outsiders involved. After several meetings there was a verbal reprimand that resulted in a meeting among our peers. The morning of that meeting I was going through my devotions and the Lord dropped in my thoughts that I should take the opportunity to ask this man to forgive me. WHAT?

 Literally after months of self examination, prayer, fasting and talking to other men in authority at church, looking for a Godly view of the situation, wondering if I was in violation of scripture or before God, I came to the conclusion I had done nothing wrong. Then the Lord tells me I need to ask for the forgiveness of a man who has no conviction of Godly matters or anything about God at all. Like John the Baptist, I was confused.

Jesus told John we need to do this to please God.

 I didn’t like what I was asked to do. I had a choice to make, would I go with what I was convinced to be right in my mind and emotions or obey God and do what felt very unnatural to me? An apology would make me look foolish in front of unbelievers, authorities over me and friends.

 The meeting went off pretty good. The opportunity came for me to speak up. Like a pregnant pause, you could hear a pin drop. I looked across the circle of 14 construction workers standing next to each other. It felt like two gladiators facing each other ready for battle. The work force divided into two camps, half with him and half with me. There was absolute silence, the air was so thick you needed a sawzall to cut it! I called my nemesis out by name, first stating the obvious issue between us then I said “if I have done anything to make you’re working environment uncomfortable, please forgive me.”

 Almost immediately there was an overwhelming sense of release in me, fighting back the tears welling up in my eyes. I wasn’t done. I addressed a problem with another man who had been a friend, now in the opposite camp, and asked for his forgiveness as well.

I learned a very deep and hard lesson this month. Submission to God is not always something that makes sense. Submission is a matter of obedience and a matter of will. Is Jesus Lord of my life, or just my Savior?

Living as a disciple of Jesus is not easy because in order to follow Jesus, submission is a requirement. Submission comes at personal cost. Jesus said “if you want to be my disciple you must pick up your cross daily.” Being called a child of the Living God has benefits, it holds many promises, but it’s not always easy, there is a cost. It would be easy to pay a monetary price to enter the kingdom, God knew that. The requirement of our devotion is at a personal cost of honoring Jesus as the King of Kings, it’s the hardest thing we will do in this life because it requires us to live as sacrifices at the expense of our sinful nature we were born into. Jesus placed the Holy Spirit in us to empower us to do the right thing and to guide us into all righteousness.

Submissions to the things of God are not always easy, but it teaches us how to live in the abundance of his favor, teaching us how deeply he loves us and wants the very best for our lives.

  Work hard at submission, to honoring the King of Glory. Love him and keep his words alive in your heart daily.  

Seeing Things as They Are Meant to be Seen

 How do we look at obstacles and difficult situations that get right up in our faces? 

 What about the person who is obstinate or verbally abusive toward us?

  

I started January of 2011 by asking God to change the way I viewed things in life. After all what Christian doesn’t want to be more holy or take on the attitude and views of God, right? The statement “Be careful of what you pray for” is such a cliche. That statement feels cheap, like God is looking to trick me or wanting me to go through something unnecessary. He always wants what is best for me. It’s not even in his character to give me anything that will harm me or fill me with anxiety.

 Moving forward means change, positive change means looking at what doesn’t work, then purposely exchanging it for a new way of doing something that does work.

  Some years ago a pastor told me, “when you find yourself in the middle of a trial don’t ask God for a way out, ask him to help you learn his lesson for you in the middle of the trial.” I really didn’t like that idea then, and I don’t like that idea today. I still don’t like trials, today I’m better at not running away from them.

 There is a book in the Bible named “James.” James was the brother of Jesus. James pastored the early church in Jerusalem. He opens his letter with the statement “consider it the purest form of joy brothers when you encounter different kinds of trials.” Because the purpose of those trials are to cause us to mature, lacking nothing. That includes the trials we had nothing to do with getting ourselves into, as well as those we bring on ourselves.

 Trials act as an interesting tutor. They have the tendency and ability to dig into the deepest parts of who we are, the areas that no one else usually sees. We know how to disguise these dark areas, protecting them from eye sight. Our tutor also reveals our blind spots. More often than not our emotions play a large part of the unyielding, relentless lessons our tutor requires us to master.

 Just like a student in a classroom who studies his lessons is required to endure a test to prove what has been learned. Tests we encounter in life ensure our lessons have not past by without making an imprint on who we become or at the very least forming us into better students than we were before we started.

The most difficult thing about lessons in life is that for the most part they include people. I find that when trials come, they usually include a person that I don’t get along with or care too much for, fortunately this is a very short list for me. This is the point where I usually want to cut and run.

 If you like to cook you may appreciate the use of a mortar and pestle. A mortar and pestle is a set of cooking tools used to crush, grind, and mix solid substances, the pestle is a heavy bat-shaped object, and the end is used for crushing and grinding. The mortar is a bowl, usually made of hard wood, ceramic or stone. The substance to be ground is placed in the mortar and ground, crushed or mixed with the pestle.

 I like the picture this paints for me. Trials that include other people are the times when life and ideas don’t flow freely between two or more people. Like the pestle performing the work it’s designed for, trials that involving people have the feeling of grinding and mixing incompatible substances together until they break down and are combined as one, creating a new compound much better or more effective than the original. Both original substances are changed forever.

 I am a lover of people. When someone comes into my life l view our connection as an investment, forming the person who I become, hopefully I become an investment in their lives as well. I want all my investments to have large dividends that pay often for both parties. Every encounter with people has the potential for greatness. Some investments are better than others, but all investments, good or bad, large or small, leave an imprint on each one of us.

 When the lord brings abrasive or incompatible people into my life, as I yield to the trial that presses me in the mortar bowl, I’m learning to look at those trials as the better part of my journey however uncomfortable and unnatural they may be. So although these may be the most difficult of trials, they become the richest and most memorable with the greatest potential for creating in me tolerance, understanding, and humility, my personality becomes more colorful and my character stronger.

 The remainder of the James passage, the second verse in chapter one says… “Because you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature, lacking nothing.”

That sort of rings in my ears, mature, lacking nothing. What a lofty goal! Obviously pastor James loved people and had the desire to see people growing into their greatest potential. He wanted it so much he was willing to tell them the hard things. The same potential God has placed in each one of us. A shepherd’s heart will do that. That pastor, who talked to me about trials so many years ago is that kind of pastor, he is a man who chases after the heart of God.

 Every one of us need people who aren’t afraid to tell us the hard things, speaking to the true person behind the mask we all wear when we first encounter each other. To really know who someone is takes time. It requires standing with each other as we go through tuff times instead of avoiding each other during the trials that change us. Standing with someone through trials also shows the results the lessons our trials have created in us.

I want to see things differently; I want to see difficult people differently. We should embrace difficult situations and trials, they act as a spring board for moving us on to the next season of life, as we grow into maturity.

Embrace the road to maturity. It’s worth the trial.

Focus

I use to have a dog named Greta. We lived on a cotton ranch in Bakersfield at the time. Greta fast became my best friend. Working the fields of cotton and alfalfa was perfect for bonding with a new pup. The long hours of working outside. the long nights of watering hay made for the need of a good companion. Greta learned to play catch with a Frisbee, hunt gofers and ride on farm equipment. I think she loved spending time with me as much as I loved spending time with her.

 As I mentioned, Greta loved to play catch with her Frisbee. My wife and I would joke about her carrying the Frisbee everywhere she went. It was as if she had developed a growth from the side of her mouth, her Frisbee was always with her every where she went, just in case someone might want to play. Greta had an intense unwavering focus on her Frisbee. I use to laugh and make fun of her but the more she focused on her love of Frisbee the better she got at the art of catching it. Jumping, actually flipping backwards in mid air if necessary to catch it.

 My dear friend Greta was hit by a car some years ago. This morning I was thinking about Greta and how faithful she was, what fun we had. I thought of her tenacity and desire to play catch with her Frisbee. The Lord quickened my heart and caused me to realize how he longs for this kind of tenacity and focus on him to be in my heart and daily actions, for my desire to be only for his presence and his purpose.  The busier I get with life; distraction free time alone with my Heavenly Father seems to become more difficult. Quietness before him is a struggle to find, keeping my thoughts and focus intent on him. I have no problem running to him with my needs, talking to him throughout my day. Waiting in the quietness of my soul for his voice is a discipline that takes a working effort on my part. The constant distraction of the needs of life fights for my attention and quietness is a commodity that is in high demand that goes against everything that the world around me fights for and have the greatest need of with my Father in Heaven.

 I love Hebrews 4:16 NAS

“Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need”.

 As I touch hearts with my Dad in Heaven, the sound of his voice quiets my soul giving comfort and calmness to my heart, offering peace from the demands life imposes on me. His expression of love and strength toward me, gives me confidence that alongside him nothing is impossible regardless of what happens outside of his presence he is always with me and always for me.

In his presence I am made whole. 

Made a difference to that one

On a recent trip to San Francisco, with a group of men from the church I worship at, I encountered an interesting set of emotions not expected.

About three years ago my wife and I were talking about the problem with people who have closed themselves off to life. The term “Shut-in’s” came to mind. Quite a few years ago I remember watching a news program, I think it may have been “60 minutes” or “2020” the report was about children whose parents or single parent worked most of the day and into the evening while not making enough money for child care. These children, usually grammar school or Jr. High school age kids were known as “shut-in’s”.

Today the term Shut-in’s affords certain pictures in our minds of the elderly or victims of some terrible accident that has left them unable to function the way they use to.

There is another member of the shut in community. Those who for some reason aren’t connected with life. The shut-in community I met on my visit to the City by the Bay was due to financial restraints, along with ailments of some sort.  Today I saw a commercial that related to getting older. It was for some drug dealing with sore muscles. The message went something like this…”inactivity leads to more inactivity and mobility leads to increased mobility” That's a very real statement. A typical Thanks Giving Day for most of us consists of a day of  eating too much food then watching football the remainder of the day. The feeling of being drained of energy the rest of the day. Now think about not having a full belly and no TV to watch football on with no family or friends to spend the day with. That loneliness and empty feeling only leads to a spiral down into a dark pit. Separation leads to more separation and the pit of despair is deep. The desire to see anyone or think anyone wants to see you grows like the darkness of the room you live in 24/7. These are the shut-in’s I am talking about. These are the shut-in’s that I wonder about. The Gospel goes out to all people at one time or another. When you live as a shut-in it is never too late to experience the love of God. The question is who will make the effort to go to find the shut-ins to make the difference, how will the shut-in's be found? 

I wonder, my mind can only imagine. We all have days that we really don’t want to be bothered, or days where if we have to go somewhere we really don’t want anyone to see us, the days where if you could turn into the invisible man all would be fantastic. But what if that feeling was an everyday emotion that now after several months or even years was fed by fear and insecurity that was so overwhelming that leaving your dark, even smelling dungeon of a room was too extreme to even go out to wash your clothes or get the basic necessities to exist on.

I remember knocking on one door of a room on the 6^th floor of an old beat up hotel last Saturday in San Francisco; I knocked and announced loudly “free food”! “Rescue Mission’ Free Food”! Knocking three times, four times. Ready to walk away a tall guy sheepishly opened the door a crack, he reached out to grab the small bag of groceries we were toting with us for each room. The appearance of his uncombed graying hair and pasty white complexion with the heavy black circles under his eyes struck my heart like a dagger. As I handed him the bag of food. I asked, "can I pray for you? Is there anything you need a touch from God for right now"? He looked at me as if the request was foreign to him like no one asked him before. His look was one of shock and surprise. I could see his thoughts racing." I am in no hurry" I told him. He looked at me and with a painful look in his face he said I need prayer for everything. As I began to pray there was a sense of comfort and ease that came to us standing at that doorway. There was no sound from inside the room. As our prayer came to an end I looked at the man known to me only as Dan, the look on his face had now turned to one of gratitude, there was a sense of calm in his eyes. He took my hand and shook it and said thank you. In a short space if time I know The Spirit of God touched a lonely spot in Dan’s life as we parted company.

 There is a story called “The Star Thrower” Written by Loren Eliseley T It goes like this:

There was a man who was walking along a sandy beach where thousands of

A man walking on a beach noticed a lot of starfish had been washed up on the shore. He saw a boy picking the starfish up one by one and throwing them back into the ocean. The man observed the boy for a few minutes and then asked what he was doing. The boy replied that he was returning the starfish to the sea, otherwise they would die. The man asked how saving a few, when so many were doomed, would make any difference whatsoever? The boy picked up a starfish and threw it back into the sea and said” Made a difference to that one…” The man left the boy and went home, deep in thought of what the boy had said. He soon returned to the beach and spent the rest of the day helping the boy throw starfish into the sea.

So did my day taking food to shut-in’s in San Francisco and praying for Dan and other people make a difference with such insurmountable odds? Yes, it made a difference to Dan.

Men What does your wife look like?

I have a 54 year old friend who is a martial artist. He insists on fighting in such a way that, as he says, "I don't pull punches". In other words it’s not fake. When he trains he punches his training partner as if he is actually fighting with him. Full body contact. He says “if I pull punches when I practice I will pull punches if I get in a fight.” It has to do with what he calls muscle memory or muscle training. You will fight the way you train.

This idea of muscle memory made me think about my relationship with my wife. I'll pose the question to you that I asked myself.

How do you love your wife? Do you love her the same way when you are away from her as you do when you are with her? When you are talking to your friends, when it is just the guys, how do you represent your wife? Do you talk about her like she is a pain in your butt or a thorn in your side, “the ol’ ball and chain? Or do you actually love her with your words even when she isn’t with you. Do you join in with the guys by bashing her because everyone is verbally beating their wives behind their backs? Or are you the guy who honors your wife even when you are mad at her. Do you honor her by bragging about her, telling the guys how well she takes care of you or about the talents she has? Do you ever tell the group of guys you hang out with that you adore and cherish your wife?

People who have never met our wives gain their first impression about them by the way we represent them with our expressions we make about them. Our description of their personalities and how we feel about them will determine how other will treat them as well. Our friends, people we work with and even family will see our wives through us until they meet them. They will treat them by our words of respect or disrespect. We only get one first impression with people, make sure your wife has the best first impression possible because of the way you represented her before someone meets her.

“Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks”. So I guess we have to ask ourselves, how do we really feel about our wives? You’ll be able to tell by the way you talk about her when she isn’t with you.

My Friend has it right you will fight the way you practice. Muscle memory will play it’s way out in real life.

We have to practice loving our wives and sometimes we have to work hard at it, just like they do. Men here is a reality bite, "our wives will follow our lead". I guess that puts the shoe on the other foot. Sounds like being the leader of the house means leading by example not by words alone. Don’t air dirty laundry to the guys because it can become a practice that leads to the down fall of your marriage. We will eventually begin to live out what we say because it becomes an attitude of the heart the attitude of the heart becomes a mind set, our mind set becomes our actions. then a lifestyle.

Husbands Love your wives as Christ loves the church and gave himself up for her.