Growth

Running on Fumes

/ Craig / 2 Comments

IMG_0605 - Version 2

30 The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. 31And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. 33Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them.

34When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. 35And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. 36Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

37But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” 38And he said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” 39Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. 40So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties.

41And taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. 42And they all ate and were satisfied. 43And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. 44And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men. Mark 6:30-44

Running on Fumes

The disciples where tired. They had started the day with hopes of rest with Jesus. But Jesus spent the day teaching the crowd that intercepted and interrupted the retreat plan. And now the crowd is hungry. The disciples wanted them to go home. Jesus wanted the disciples to feed them.

Outrageous.

“You give them something to eat.”

Without this invitation and command the day would have passed into the mix of other crowded days in the disciples’ minds. But now, Jesus turned it into a memorable moment. Retelling this moment would have grounded their faith in Him.


An imagined conversation
“Remember what Jesus did with five loaves and two fish?”
“Remember how tired we were? I was fuming by the end of the day!”
“Remember, there was enough!”
“More than enough.”
Jesus is enough. Walk with Him and there will be interceptions and interruptions. This intersection of people and need is a holy moment when our apparent inadequacy meets the not so obvious abundance but very much real grace of Jesus.

Feeling empty? Inadequate? Severely challenged, perhaps annoyed, by ___________________ ( you fill in the blank!)?

Pause and listen. What does Jesus want you to be a part of? As you take what you already have, He will provide the balance… and more.

Put it on! You’ve got a whole new wardrobe!

/ Craig / Leave a comment

DSC_0309

10…and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. 12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Colossians 3:10-15

You have a new spirit in Christ, but the body and soul must be submitted to the redemptive work of the Gospel ‘till we are fully united with Christ Jesus. We can’t see your new spirit. But like fashion, the old nature and new nature is what is seen by others. When Paul speaks of the traits and qualities of the old nature and the new nature he uses the language of fashion: “put it off” and “put it on.”

For the Believer who has received Jesus Christ as Lord, the work of salvation is the renewal of the spirit. Once you were dead in your sins, but now you are alive in Christ. (Ephesians 2:1-10) You are a new creation; you have a new self, the old is gone and the new has come. (1 Corinthians 5:17) In Christ Jesus you also have a whole new wardrobe accessible in the new you that can be seen by others.

You have now become a participant in your total makeover through the Holy Spirit, God’s word, and the new community called church. Our daily responsibility is to put off the old nature and then to reach into the new wardrobe gracefully outfitted by Christ Jesus. We are to put on the new nature so that the life of Christ occupies our body and soul. This change is dynamic, not static, and it is a continual process of growth and maturity in Christ Jesus.

The new nature is so relational! Its ours because we are “God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved.” Its so relational because we have been brought into the new community where race, religion, culture, and status are not determinant. Instead Christ Jesus is all. And its Jesus who gives us a new wardrobe. We can put on:

Compassionate hearts

Kindness

Humility

Meekness

Patience

Forgiveness

Love

The peace of Christ

Gratitude

There is no place where these qualities are not required of the Christian. As we will see later in Colossians Paul envisions the new nature being expressed not only in the fellowship of the church, but also in the home, and in the workplace. Each of these settings has a way of showing the deficits in our character.

We may be frustrated that the new nature is not automatic! But Christ’s healing and His power for life comes with the daily and seasonal work of prayer, Scripture memory, meditation, fasting, confession, worship, and the grace of receiving connection—knowing and being known, acceptance, forgiveness, and the blessings from others who are also occupied by Jesus Christ. This is how Jesus creates a gospel-shaped life with us, and us with Him.

 

 

The most important intention for your day

/ Craig / Leave a comment

IMGP0619

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.   John 15:5

The most important parts of your day are the parts where you acknowledge Jesus Christ. These are the moments when you are…

mindful of His presence with you.

giving thanks for His redemptive Gospel.

aligning your attitudes and actions with His agenda.

entering into your identity as His dearly loved child.

accessing the wardrobe of your new nature in Him.

seeking wisdom and guidance for leading.

fortifying your courage to follow Him.

Perhaps you have neglected these moments for meeting Jesus. Its time to build them into your day… (the options are endless and varied)

when you roll out of bed and your feet hit the floor.

when you open God’s Word and in-form your life with truth.

when you practice the verses you are memorizing.

when you pray with a meal.

when you greet that first human.

when you open your computer.

when you write that first text of the day.

when you read that first Facebook post.

when you make a transaction.

when you wash the dishes.

when you share a meal.

when you enter a room for a meeting.

when you wait on transit.

when you…waste your life… Hey! Jesus is there waiting for you to be mindful of Him… don’t waste your life.

Busy is not necessarily full of lasting fruit. Be intentional. Pick some moments. Abide in Jesus.

 

 

Don’t resist the Holy Spirit’s inconvenient ministry

/ Craig / Leave a comment

IMG_0795

7Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.  John 16:7-15

Jesus says He will send the Holy Spirit as the Helper for the disciples. That’s great news because their assignment in the world is daunting. Who is going to believe them? But its not all up to them! The Holy Spirit will take on the work of convicting the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment;

of sin because they do not believe Jesus.

of righteousness because Jesus has gone to the Father.

of judgment because the ruler of this world is judged.

Conviction is uncomfortable. The application of God’s truth to our lives stirs up the mixture of guilt, shame, and fear that a person may have been managing for years. Conviction goes against our cultural reluctance to “make a person feel uncomfortable.” And thus we may not want to cooperate with the Spirit of God by proclaiming the promise of Jesus. But its the very uncomfortable and inconvenient realization of truth that makes the grace of Jesus timely and amazing.

Asking for the Holy Spirit

/ Craig / Leave a comment

IMG_8632

9And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 11What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”  Luke 11:9-13

Our Heavenly Father delights to give for the life and benefit of His children. So, ask. So, seek. So, knock. He knows how to give good gifts! When it comes to gifts, He will even give Himself. Jesus says our Heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.

So, I’m asking for the Holy Spirit who

  • brings me into God’s love and assures me that I am His. (Romans 8:12-17)
  • animates the Gospel of Jesus and lifts Him up. (John 16:4-15)
  • empowers me for the work of Jesus in the world and leads me into it. (Acts 1:4-8)
  • equips me for the benefit of the Body of Christ. (1 Corinthians 12)
  • grants me wisdom for decisions. (Isaiah 11:1-3)