Woe!

 “And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said:

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied.

“Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.

“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.

“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.

“Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry.

“Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.

“Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.

“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

“If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful." Luke 6:20-36

I recall as a middle schooler sitting in the third pew from the front at a Sunday evening service next to my absolutely cute crush (no, it wasn't Chris, we didn't meet till college). I doubt anyone was sitting in the first two rows and my mom made sure I sat up front so I would pay attention. (Important fact in case you've never been to a Sunday evening service - typically the preacher teaches not up on the stage, but on our level... so, it had to be less than 10 feet between us and him.) And I got the giggles. The uncontrollable ones that don't stop. They just grow. You been there? I tried holding it all in only to see it coming out in the form of tears as I covered my mouth. My face was turning red as I tried to stop breathing... eventually bubbling up and then just exploding out my nervous mouth in childish laughter. 

He was reading a long passage with a lot of "woes" in it. I wish I knew what passage he was reading. As an adult I'd like to read it and know the seriousness of what I just laughed at. But, I know it had to be serious for someone to warn with a list of "woes". 

I did get grounded. But, now I think the memory of laughing at the Word of God in the house of God is a greater consequence. What must've people thought about me and/or my family? All I know is I never want to take His Word for granted. And one of the most consistent themes I've been reading lately is to love our enemies. Lord, woe to us who don't. Lord, help us to love like You did.

Three Little Words

Last month my dear friend, Hether gave me one of the highest compliments I’ve ever received. She said I was her Onesiphorus. Now, at first it may not sound like such a great thing to say and even a hard thing to say stumbling over the long name. But in the moment she casually said it - it brought genuine tears to my eyes. We were reading out loud through 2 Timothy and as I read these words,”…may the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains,” and she quietly said, “you’re my Onesiphorus.” Wow. In that unplanned holy moment I felt so loved. Loved by my friend and loved by God.  

I pray that you find a holy moment to give and/or receive the same kind of love. I encourage you to tell your family and friends how deeply you care for them. Maybe you or they wouldn’t want to be called someone’s Onesiphorus, but I pray just the right three words are found and given and received.

 

“…May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, 

for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains, 

but when he arrived in Rome 

he searched for me earnestly and found me— 

may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day!

—and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus.” 

2 Timothy 1:16-18

P.S. I haven't been able to return the compliment, but I will. I want to find the perfect three little words that may make her feel loved. It'd be kinda creepy to tell her she's MY Onesiphorus, right?

Sincerity = no name in vain

Confession: I'm still running a day behind in my Bible Recap this year. I'm giving myself grace. I've heard from several of you that you've committed to a more intentional study of His Word this year. Bravo! I can only imagine what great grace you will encounter as you dive in to see more of Him and His character. He has a plan, He's in control. 

Many times we find ourselves shrugging our shoulders especially when hearing the latest headlines that confirm this world has lost it's mind. Maybe even our family has. But, when we are walking with Him daily it's beneficial to remember the evidences of His goodness regularly. It's helpful instead of shrugging our shoulders to simply hold out our hands... to surrender and pray for those around us who are in chaos. Stand firm yet surrendered. 

Today's reading was Exodus 19-21 in which you will find the "Ten Commandments." Several years ago Chris and I went on a spiritual renewal week in Louisiana to Abbie Lane Retreat Center (highly recommend to all our pastor/ministry friends). They offered many prayer gardens. One of them really caught my eye as it's theme is the ten commandments... but, with a spin:
Priority - no gods
Sovereignty - no idols
Sincerity - no name in vain
Sanctity - remember sabbath
Unity - honor parents
Responsibility - no murder
Fidelity - no adultery
Honesty - no stealing
Integrity - no lies
Security - no coveting

Exodus 19:5, "Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine, and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." He gave His people the 10 commandments out of such a deep love. The deepest ever. He had a purpose and a plan and executed it perfectly...and He still does. Look for where He is at work and join Him. 

Hey hay 2024! Whiplash!

Hey! Hello 2024. How are you? I’m excited to see how God works in and through you… and me… as we partner together. Y’ALL!! By the grace of God, I finished the Bible Recap in 2023!! WHOHOO!! Quite an accomplishment! It’s kinda ridiculous that it took me this long to read through the entire Bible. I was a little embarrassed at first… afterall I’m “married to a pastor”. It overwhelmed me to even think about diving in. But, the longer I lived on this earth, the longer I knew I was just taking other people’s word for the Word. I wanted to figure some things out on my own. I wanted to know first hand about God’s character and why He would love a nincompoop like me, let alone create me!

I loved it so much I’m doing it again! Today is Day 2 and it genuinely felt like whiplash. Yesterday - Genesis 1-3: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth... And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” 

“…the first day, …second day… third day… fourth day… fifth day… and God saw that it was good… “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness… be fruitful & multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens an dover every living thing that moves on the earth… tt was VERY good… the sixth day… thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day, God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day…”

Today Genesis 4-7. The plot thickens. Adam knew Eve, had Cain and Abel and they grew up in just two verses! One murdered the other and yet “…at that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord.” Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalel, and Jared lived and died. Enoch walked with God and was taken. Methuselah, Lamech, and Noah lived (& died), but Noah was the one that would “bring us relief”.  

Chapter 6: “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth…” 

But, He already knew. Back in Genesis 2: 17 to Adam “…for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” 6:18 “I will establish my covenant with you (Noah)…” He knew. He knows and He had a plan. Just like every other thing in life. His plan is to bring redemption. 

I have a deep desire to figure it all out. I wanna know exactly how Noah became righteous and blameless in his generation. How did he find favor in the eyes of the Lord?! Can you imagine!? If we just had a list of how he achieved these descriptions… we may have had to make “WWND?” bracelets to sell in the early 2010s… but, I know it’s that next four word sentence that’s the most important: “Noah walked with God.” So, what can I do to continue to learn to walk with the Lord?

This morning my heart slowed with one great reminder: Tara Leigh-Cobble said, “Our aim isn’t to know everything - it’s to know God!” So, as I venture into 2024 I’m trying to pace my space with not collecting clues, but collecting sweet communion with Him. Will you join me?