If a picture is worth a thousand words...

     If a picture is worth a thousand words, then Jesus spoke volumes through His stories.  His stories have stretched the greatest minds and fed the simplest ones.  They have the power to pierce the hardest hearts and to shape souls.  In Matthew 13:34 we read, “Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable.” 

 

     So, why did Jesus speak in parables?  He used images and characters from everyday life to illustrate His message.  His stories appealed to the old and young, as well as the rich and poor.  Jesus gave significant thought to the way He taught so He would speak and connect with not just the great minds of His time, but also with the simple and uneducated people as well.  In fact, a third of His words recorded in the Bible are parables.  They were designed to help get the truth to everyone. 

 

     Maybe you have never been to church, maybe you have been attending all your life, or you are just coming back after a long break? Wherever you are in your life journey, take some time this week and read one of Jesus’ parables --  He wanted to get to the core of a person’s being – their heart, their mind, their emotion, and their soul. Make a personal commitment to Jesus as you open yourself up to His teaching, letting Him have free reign in stretching your mind, piercing your heart, and shaping your soul. 

 

     Start with Luke 10:30-37 – The Good Samaritan.  Not only will God challenge you to look inside yourself, but also to ask yourself how you look at others.  Don’t get frustrated if the meaning doesn’t pop at you.  The Hebrew word for parable is ‘marshal’ – which means “a riddle” or a “puzzle”.  A parable was something one had to think about.  Many times,  the meaning of a parable would not immediately set in, but later on that day or even that week, one would say “AHA!” and understanding would come.  Expect the Spirit to speak as you begin to know God in new and fresh ways. 

 

     Imagine your new life with Jesus as a blank canvas that allows Him to paint His story of grace, love, and truth with each brush stroke.   If a picture is worth a thousand words then imagine what people will see when they see you living life with the life giver...causing everyone who meets you or sees you to be in awe at the beautiful masterpiece that is being presented and realize that only at the hand of God could such a treasure be truly found.  

 

   

Less of Me More of Him,

Rick

ALMOST

  This word – ALMOST – has been a silent intruder into our vocabulary.  We use it when we come in short; when we miss the mark; when we never finish what we’ve begun. 

    I enjoy reading the passage in Luke 24: 13-21.  Take a moment and look with me on the Road to Emmaus…

” Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem.  They were talking with each other about everything that had happened.   As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them;  but they were kept from recognizing him.

 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”  They stood still, their faces downcast.   One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”

 “What things?” he asked.  “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him;  but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place.

The road to Emmaus was a road of “ALMOST”!  The word them does not clearly identify who the two are.  They are not two of the eleven disciples.  Probably they are two of the followers of Jesus who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover.  Jesus approaches these two disheartened followers as they were walking with their faces downcast.  They are discussing the events that had taken place in Jerusalem and Jesus decided to add to the conversation.  Here are these followers discussing previous events and the Main Event is right in front of them!

     I am captivated with the phrase – “WE HAD HOPED that HE WAS THE ONE”.  Talk about a verse that is showered with “almosts”!  

I am reminded of what Max Lucado said in “No Wonder They Call Him The Savior”,

For our own good, Jesus demanded and demands absolute obedience.  He never has room for “almost” in His vocabulary.  You are either with Him or against Him.  With Jesus...”next time” has to become “this time”.  No, Jesus never had room for “almost” and still doesn’t.  “Almost” may count in horseshoes and hand grenades, but with the Master, it is just as good as a “Never”.

(p 82)

     Imagine for a moment if the word “Almost” would have been a part of the Life of Christ.  He almost wasn’t born.  He almost didn’t have a ministry for lost souls.  He almost didn’t die on the cross with the weight of the sins of the world on His shoulders.  And He almost didn’t rise from the grave for the world to know that His Father has power over life and death.  Almost was never part of the plan of God!  It is not part of His vocabulary. 

     Starting today –Let’s find assurance in the arms of the Master – let’s get rid of all the “almosts”. Know that He did it – He is the victor.  The babe in the manger now sits at His Father’s right hand of the throne. 

    I heard a great statement on the radio this week and maybe it will help you deal with the “almosts”  that have already come and gone –      

      “It is ok to for us to look at our past – just don’t STARE at it.  Look to the future!”   

Let’s fix our eyes on Jesus!  An awesome version of the verse in Hebrews 12 verses 2 and 3 comes out of The Message “Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!”

Have a great week!

Less of Me More of Him,

Rick

TOO FAST…No Need for Speed:

Learning How to Take Hold of the Checkered Flag

Greek Motto

You will Break the Bow If You Keep It Always Bent!

We live in a fast-paced society – yes, like sometimes our life is on a race-track.  However, we can learn to react differently and come out victorious…not only spiritually, but also emotionally and physically.

Dr. Charles Mayo of the May Clinic said,” Stress affects the circulation, the heart, the glands, and the whole nervous system.  I’ve never know a man who died from overwork, but many who died from stress.” 

FACT:  We all have stress! 

Read with me in the book of Luke as we see that Martha, like many of us, allowed her anxiety to reach a breaking point.

But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she 

came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister 

has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.”  

 But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things;  but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:40-42

Note her reactions…

1.   She assumed that Jesus didn’t care!     “Lord, do You not care”

2.   She blamed Mary for being irresponsible.  “my sister has left me to do all the serving alone”

3.   She tried to work things out her own way.  “tell her to help me”.

On the race track of life it is essential to keep Jesus as our Top Priority in the midst of all the distractions.  I was once told -- What we do WITH Christ is so much more than what we do FOR Him.  Very few things are as harmful to the Christ follower’s life as trying to work for Jesus without taking time to connect and talk with the Father.  As John 15:5 tells us, “apart from me you can do nothing.”

When we feel stressed, overworked, or like Martha consider criticizing others, we had better take a hard look inside at our own lives.  Perhaps, have we been ignoring the Lord in all of our busyness on that road of the “fast-paced” that we are living?  Martha did not have too much work to do…she allowed her work to distract her and pull her away from WHO matters the most.  The key is to have the right priorities: Jesus first, then others, then ourselves.

Mary of Bethany is seen 3 times in the Bible, and each time she is in the same place: at the feet of Jesus.  In Luke 10:39, she sits at His feet and listened to His Word.  In John 11:32, she fell at His feet and shared her sadness. Then in John 12:3, she came to His feet and poured out her worship.  It is vital for us all to spend time “at the feet of Jesus” every day.

So, where are YOU?  Are you in the “kitchen” of life – distracted by the deadlines, bills, responsibilities, or even ministry commitments?  Or… are you taking the time be “at the Father’s feet”—taking time out to pray to our Father, to read His word, and to fill up with the power that only comes thru Him?

Take hold of that Checkered Flag!  Slow down and take time with the Father!  When we can learn to put Jesus first and discover the power that comes with prayer -- a power to not only change the world, but also to change ourselves, then we will find that we have our priorities right, just like Mary did.  We will learn that when we put down all our activities and all the busy things we do -- for ourselves, for those around us, even for the church -- and we will learn to sit at the feet of Jesus, we will learn to be in the presence of the Father. And this my friends, will change us in astonishing and powerful ways!

Deliberately Decreasing Life’s Speed – Less of Me More of Him,

Rick