Morning Thoughts

Happy Wednesday! I hope your week is going well and you are finding opportunities to share Jesús with those around you. It sure is raining hard on me this morning! Do you ever give second chances? How about third? Or tenth? My kids still laugh about when they were small how I would beg them “Please don’t do that again, I really don’t want to have to get mad!” Needless to say, I didn’t win the prize for the most disciplined children. But how often does God give us a second chance? Or third? Or thirtieth?  The passage in Luke 13 that we’ve talked about for two days about suffering ends with a parable of hope in verses 6-9. It’s the story of the fruitless fig tree. I think that the Gardner in this story represents Jesus and the tree represents us, who haven’t done the things we should have and been fruitful for the Master as we should have been.  “Then Jesus told this story: “A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but ...

Happy Tuesday. I hope your week is starting well and you found some good bargains on cyber Monday. Don’t forget that today is Giving Tuesday which is your opportunity to donate to your favorite non-profit. Of course, my favorite is mexicomedical.org Sunday afternoon Tal and I were talking about someone who had done something they should not have and then they were contrite and apologized for it. He said, “Even if someone does something really bad, if they own it and apologize for it and act repentant, I am good with it.” And I think many of us are like that—we don’t want to hold a grudge. And if we as humans are like that, how much more so is our God?  In Luke 13 where Jesus tells the people, “Do you think they were worse than other people so bad things happened to them? No! But you are bad so you better repent!” He is stressing the point that all have sinned. And all of us need to repent. Daily.  Repentance doesn’t do away with suffering but it does give it a purpose. It’s s...

Good Monday to you! I hope you had a great weekend and were able to be in the house of the Lord with other believers. I heard about a couple of tragedies that happened this weekend—one involved a car wreck that ultimately lead to the death of a little 4-year old girl. The human side of us always questions suffering like this and asks “why?” Why do these kinds of things happen to good people, good parents?  So many times, we try to make God in our image instead of the other way around. And because of that, we tend to believe that if you’ve been bad, God should treat you bad and if you’ve been good, God should reward you and treat you good. But in Luke 13, Jesus just says “No!” That’s not how this works. Some in the crowd has asked him about the Gallileans that Herod had just killed so he could their blood as a sacrifice.  “Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless...

Happy Sabbath Day and may this day be a blessing for you.  “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had,” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭15:5‬ ‭NIV‬‬ I love this verse in preparation for worship with other believers. As we prepare our hearts and minds, we also need to ask that we have a loving attitude toward each other just as Jesus had—those people with whom we are gathering to worship, those for whom we are praying, and those with whom we are serving.  I am not always the most kind when I am interrupted from something I enjoy doing. For example, if I’ve just sat down to eat dinner and someone knocks at the door because they are wanting something from me, I’m not very patient. I’m not much like Jesus.  Jesús was sitting down with his friends about to enjoy dinner when he felt something wet and sticky and highly perfumed running down his head and neck, into his tunic and all over him! A woman had just poured an...

Happy Friday or as those who are really into shopping call it “Black Friday!” Lots of bargains everywhere. I think after all the cooking from yesterday, I just ready for a little R&R for today! And I won’t lie, I’ve already had a little gluten/dairy free apple pie this morning.  My back was so sore last night after a long day of cooking and preparing. That back pain reminded me of a sermon I’d heard not long ago on the pain we cause ourselves by looking back—back pain.  Even though our past sins have been forgiven by God, if we choose to not forgive ourselves of our past transgressions it is really a sign of unbelief. A sign that we don’t believe that God is big enough or that he has really forgiven us and washed us clean. “Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer; answer me, for I need your help. Protect me, for I am devoted to you. Save me, for I serve you and trust you. You are my God. Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am calling on you constantly. Give me happiness, O Lord...

Happy Thursday and Happy Thanksgiving. How blessed are we? Those of us who know the Savior are the most blessed and have the most for which to be thankful as it says in Luke 12.  “But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be punished only lightly. When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭12:48‬ ‭NLT‬‬ So not only are we to be the most thankful, we have been entrusted with the most responsibility —those two jobs he gave us? To be disciples and to make disciples.  But today is the day of gratitude and thanksgiving. The day we lay aside everything to just say thank you to the great God of the Universe and of the Angel Armies, the Great I Am! Today is the day that we the blessed especially remember that we are the people of Jehovah called by His name and we are are peculiar people. We are much different than those we share the planet with—we are c...

Happy Wednesday—who is cooking and baking today? Everyone? I learned something this week. When the signs say “right lane closed ahead,” you need to move over. I was in Tulsa on Monday and since I started driving there as an16-yr old, those roads have been pretty under construction and especially in a constantly changing area, you need to heed to those warning signs.  At the end of Luke 12, the last few verses (54-59), Jesus is giving us clear instructions to heed the warning signs. And in this ever changing world of ours, it’s even more important.  “You fools! You know how to interpret the weather signs of the earth and sky, but you don’t know how to interpret the present times. “Why can’t you decide for yourselves what is right?” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭12:56-57‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Discern right from wrong, and when we find our lives are not in line with God’s plan, admit it, repent and obey. It’s just not a complex formula. It seems simple, but it’s one we do have trouble figuring out. And sometimes i...