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Jesus Said A Prayer For Us

Jun 29th, 2011 by Amy

In John 17 Jesus prayed a prayer for his disciples.  And while he was praying he was thinking about me and you.  Some 2000 years ago my face flashed through the mind of my Savior moments before he was arrested and sentenced to death.

“My prayer is not for them alone.  I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message…” (vs 20).  Jesus reached through time and space and said a prayer for me…for us.  As he prayed he visualized the face of every believer living, and those of us to come.  We were on his mind before he died for us.

And you know what he was thinking?  He was thinking what every parent thinks about during the long weeks of summer vacation when school is out and the kids are home and restless.  Please…get along.  Stop fighting.  Work it out.  Be one.

The one prayer that Jesus prayed for us was a call to be unified.

“That all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.  May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (vs. 21).  The way the world will know Jesus is by the example of oneness of his followers.  And this kind of unity can only come from a sincere love for one another; a love that Jesus commanded:

“One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating.  Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, ‘Of all the commandments, which is the most important?’  ’The most important one,’ answered Jesus, ‘is this: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and will all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.  The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself.  There is no commandment greater than these.’” Mark 12:28-31.

“A new command I give to you: Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35.

Jesus wasn’t making a friendly suggestion.  He was lovingly commanding us to live in peace with one another.  To walk in unity, from then until now.  And by this the world would know Jesus.  In that very moment, when Jesus was preparing to die, he paused and prayed for us.  He must have known how hard this command would be for us to follow.  He must have realized that I would need the extra prayer support for those days when I just want to blast another believer because they “got on my nerves” or “didn’t treat me very well”.  Whatever the justification for our irritation, Jesus commanded us to love.  To love as Christ loved us.  To be one as Christ is one with the Father.

So, how are we doing on this?  I know I have a lot of room for improvement.  Which makes me both humbled and grateful that Jesus said a prayer for me.  That Jesus was thinking of me all those years ago.  It reminds me of how much he loves me…and how much he loves this crazy, messed up world.

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Either Jesus Was In A Bad Mood Or He Had A Serious Fig Craving

Jun 27th, 2011 by Amy

(Once upon a time…)

“Early in the morning, as he (Jesus) was on his way back to the city, he was hungry.  Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves.  Then he said to it, ‘May you never bear fruit again!’  Immediately the tree withered.” (Matthew 21:18 & 19)

This same story is relayed in Mark 11:12-14:

“The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry.  Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit.  When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs.  Then he said to the tree, ‘May no one ever eat fruit from you again.’”

My initial thought is, “Wow.  Was Jesus in a bad mood, or what?”  Cursing fig trees.  That’s kind of how I get when I haven’t had enough sleep.  I just want to curse my fridge for not having anything edible in it, and I want to throw every toy in my path into the garbage.  However, Jesus’ words and actions are always intentional.  The Jewish New Testament Commentary calls this “making a point by means of a prophetic drama, an acted-out parable.”  Look at the story in Mark again.  It was not the season for figs.  Surely Jesus already knew that.  This is the same Jesus who saw Nathaniel, in John 1:43-51, sitting under a fig tree before they even met.  And it’s not like hunger was something that could undo Jesus either.  Remember when he was tempted by the devil after fasting for 40 days and 40 nights (Matthew 4:1-4)?  This was no fig craving Jesus was having.

So why was he cursing a poor, defenseless plant?  Jesus was acting out a parable in front of his disciples to make a very serious point:  bear fruit.  A fig tree in leaf holds the promise that fruit is coming.  ”We know that Yeshua expects God’s people to put forth the fruit of righteousness, and that unproductive branches will be thrown in the fire.  Thus the drying-up of the fig tree is an acted-out warning.”  Living fruitful lives is that important to Jesus.  He wasn’t in a bad mood.  He didn’t have a craving for figs.  Jesus took an ordinary fig tree and lovingly turned it into a teachable moment for his disciples, and us who follow him.

“Yeshua here is teaching his followers what it means to serve their master, God: it means simply to have the kind of trust that comes from God (vs. 22), and that they will wither away if they don’t.  Yeshua neither acts from pique nor performs arbitrary miracles like a magician; every one of his supernatural acts has spiritual significance.” – David H. Stern

The warning: bear fruit or wither away.  Jesus has some pretty high expectations of us.  It’s not enough to have pretty leaves hanging from our branches.  We must produce fruit; otherwise, we are useless.  And the type of fruit we are called to produce can only come from trusting in God and walking with him every day.  We can’t force the fruit to grow, just as a fig tree can’t produce figs on demand.  It takes watering from the Word, and constant contact with our Lord.  And all things are possible for those who believe.  ”If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer (vs.22).”  To live this kind of  life all we have to do is ask God and believe, and he will work the soil, plant the seeds, and water to a fruitful harvest.  That’s a promise.

Maybe Jesus really did have a fig craving, but not the physical kind.  Maybe he has a craving to see more fruit in our lives.  And this he takes very seriously.

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I Never Promised You A Rose Garden

Jun 23rd, 2011 by Amy

John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.”

I like happy stories.  My favorite part of a movie is usually the opening scene showing a happy family going about their business, innocent and peaceful.  Stress builds in the pit of my stomach when the plot begins to unfold and the happy family is suddenly shaken by monsters or tidal waves or earthquakes and the like.  I want to go back to the beginning where everyone is happy.  I just don’t like trouble.

And Jesus’ last words to his disciples in John 16 is a guarantee that trouble is brewing.  Trouble is a promise.  Life isn’t going to be easy and smooth.  It is going to be hard, especially for those who believe in Jesus.  The happy picture isn’t going to be the whole story.  There will be monsters and tidal waves and earthquakes.  There will be broken relationships, hurt feelings, financial difficulties, and challenges raising children.  The minute we say “yes” to Jesus doesn’t suddenly make us immune to the pain of this world.  It’s like Jesus is trying to tell us here, “I beg your pardon.  I never promised you a rose garden.”

The Jewish New Testament Commentary says this: “The life of a believer in the Messiah is not the proverbial rose garden, except, perhaps, for the thorns.  Nevertheless, Yeshua encourages us: Be brave!  I have conquered the world!”

So, life is hard.  And a life devoted to Jesus is even harder.  That’s not very happy news.  However, while Jesus doesn’t promise us a rose garden life, he does promise us that, while there will be thorns that prick us and cause deep pain, we can take heart.  Jesus has already conquered the thorns.  He has already won the victory over the monsters and the tidal waves and the earthquakes and the like.  We can be brave.

Jesus holds the salve for every thorn that pricks our skin.  And while we may not see the happy ending just yet, it is coming.  The same God that has overcome the world has overcome our problems.  He gives us peace and assurance of his faithfulness.  And that is the promise we can hold on to…till the very end.

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The Things We Hold On To

Jun 21st, 2011 by Amy

I successfully delivered three truck loads of old baby clothes, furniture, books, toys and various kinds of paraphernalia to Goodwill today.  With the help of my parents, I confidently tackled the most ominous space in our house: the garage.  For six years it has taunted me, and I’ve been too wimpy to face the junk.  Today I conquered my fears and took my overstuffed garage by the horns.  It’s been a long day, and as we sit in the living room, nursing sore muscles and still sneezing from the dust, dirt and cobwebs, I keep thinking about all the meaningless, weighty stuff that we held on to for so many years, and wondering why it took me this long to lighten the load.

Going through boxes, plastic tubs and footlockers – that I’m sure were purchased way back in the 80’s – I was struck by the wide variety of things we have held on to: papers, old coats that went out of style 15 years ago, toys our children have outgrown.  There was even one unidentifiable object that has seen us through three different moves.  What a crazy thing to hold on to!  It was time to let it go (whatever it was).

Just as I have a tendency to hold on to material junk – you could call me a tidy hoarder – I know I am capable of holding on to other kinds of junk too: anger, hurt from the past, resentment, a grudge.  Eventually someone wise speaks into my life and says, “Isn’t it time to clean out your garage?”  And as painful and overwhelming as it seems in the moment, once I get started the better I feel.  The weight of the burden, the unidentifiable objects I’ve been carrying around for years, begin to lift, and life looks good again.

It is surprising to me the things we hold on to.  And most of those things we don’t need.  What about you?  Is it time to clean out your garage too?

Posted in Faith, Life, Ministry | 2 Comments »

Trust In Real Life

Jun 17th, 2011 by Amy

Problems.  They either get your heart pumping with adrenaline or bring weighty worry.

One thing that I am slow in learning, but growing in just the same, is trusting in the Lord no matter what my outside circumstances – or pending deadlines – look like.  God is always in control, and He has never let me down.  When real life happens, and it does quite frequently at my house, my go-to reaction oftentimes is fear and worry.  Immediately I wonder how we will pay for this, or how this interpersonal relationship will be restored, or how I’m going to break it to my kids that we are having Tortilla Casserole for dinner (their moans can be heard all over Portland).  I confess, I don’t always run to Jesus and His promises.  This is real life, and this is where rubber meets the road and we either act on what we say we believe or we let worry and fear monopolize our lives and drive us to despair.

We get to choose.  Trust in the Lord or freak out.

More and more I’m choosing trust.  Because there is no return for worry.  But there’s always a great blessing in trust.  God takes care of the real life stuff.  He provides.  He heals and restores.  And he gives grace to moms who have run out of creative dinner choices.  Trust brings hope and peace.  Worry brings fine lines and wrinkles.  I can’t afford Botox, so I think trust is a better way for me to go.

And here’s what Jesus says, His promise to us:

Matthew 6:25-34

“Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.  Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they?  Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?  And why do you worry about clothes?  See how the lilies of the field grow.  They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  So do not worry saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

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Trust in real life means God is in control of the practical things too, and freaking out is a waste of time and energy.  And Lord knows, I need all the energy I can get.

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Remove Your Veil

Jun 2nd, 2011 by Amy

“We all, with unveiled faces, are reflecting the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18

Recently my friends and I were discussing this scripture.  Each one of us expressing its impact on our lives and our varying perspectives on it.  Our conversation inspired and challenged me to dig a little deeper.

The veil in this scripture is not an actual veil – Paul is speaking figuratively.  What he is referring to is the mind of the unbelieving Jew who lives with impaired vision and understanding.  They are hard, unreceptive, stonelike.  There is a resistance to the truth of Yeshua.  In the time of Moses the presence of God was hidden behind a veil.  And the unbelieving Jew still lives behind that veil.

The writer of the Jewish New Testament Commentary cites the use of “Adonai” in this text – which is not in this text, but what he believes to be Paul’s sense – means “Spirit”.  He goes on to write:

Where the Spirit of Adonai is, there is freedom to function within the framework of Torah without being enslaved by it.  And thus all of us, not just Paul and his co-workers, but all believers, with faces unveiled, with open hearts, not stonelike but sincere and unclouded, see as in a mirror the glory of Adonai, and we are being changed into his very image, from one degree of glory to the next, by Adonai the Spirit.  This is how the Spirit “gives life”.

This excites me.  When Jesus Christ came, so did the fulfillment of the law.  Where once we had to enter into the presence of God hidden behind a veil, we can now enter his presence with unveiled faces.  When Christ died the veil in the Temple was torn in two.  The significance of that amazes me.  There are no barriers to entering the presence of God.  And it is the Holy Spirit that brings this revelation.  It is the Spirit that removes the veil from our faces and brings clarity and understanding.

I was driving to meet some friends for dinner this past week and happened to look over at the car next to me as we stood still at a red light.  The woman driving the car was a Muslim.  Her face was almost completely hidden behind her head covering.  In fact, her veil was so prominent that I couldn’t even make out the shape of her profile.  Every part of her face, except for the eyes, was covered.  I thought of this scripture.  I thought of how many of us walk around blind and covered up to the truth of Jesus Christ.  We are driving through life, believing in the restrictions and distortions of false hope and religion, our hearts hardened to the truth.  We have yet to see clearly.

“Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.  Now in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” 1 Corinthians 13:12

Even as the veil drops, we have yet to see fully the magnificence of God.  On earth we can only comprehend so much…we can only see in part, but one day we will see everything.  “But when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.” (vs. 10) What we have now is an imperfect awareness of God’s glory, but when Christ returns the imperfection will disappear, and perfection will be fully known.

I wish I could have encouraged the woman in the car next to me that she doesn’t need a veil to enter into God’s presence.  The veil was removed when Christ died for her sins.  But I didn’t get the opportunity to share this with her.  The light eventually turned green, and we drove our separate ways.

I hope and pray that you will see clearly, that if you have been wearing a veil out of fear or stubborn rebellion you would allow the Holy Spirit to soften your heart to the truth.  You don’t have to live bound up behind a veil.  You can have freedom.  You can have life.  You can know Jesus.  You can remove your veil.

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Royalty

Apr 29th, 2011 by Amy

The feeling of anticipation was palpable.  Prince Charles was coming to Kenya.  I was barely a teenager then, but I remember it well: the buzz, the excitement, the “I wonder if I’ll catch a brief glimpse of royalty?” type feelings.  So it was not surprising when my dad came home for dinner with a royal story that still brings a smile to my face.

Errands needed to be run.  On a day when the long-awaited Prince Charles was scheduled to arrive, running errands in Nairobi – which in and of itself is a daunting task – proved to be torturous.  As my dad, and fellow missionary, made their way to the final stretch home, crowds of students, mothers, fathers, business men and curious bystanders began to fill the small marketplace and spill into the street.  There was no penetrating this human wall waiting for the Prince.  And then my dad had a brilliant idea.  He told his friend to crawl into the back seat of his Peugeot, crack the window and start waving when when he began to toot his horn.  With darkened windows, and a freshly washed car, they hoped to convince the crowd that somebody special was driving through.  As my dad turned the corner and began blasting his horn, the missionary in the back seat started waving in very royal-like fashion.  The crowd parted like the Red Sea.  An eruption of praise and excitement rippled through the street – people jumping, singing and rejoicing – as two missionaries drove down Mumias Road.

I have been sitting in my living room watching the footage of the royal nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton this morning.  I have gasped with awe, smiled in romantic approval and shed a slight tear at the regality of it all.  What an incredible moment as a young woman – a simple commoner – becomes a Princess – becomes royalty.

When I was a very young girl I sat on my mom’s lap and asked Jesus to come into my life and be my Savior.  In that moment, years ago, I went from being a simple commoner to significant royalty.

In my ugly blue robe and mess of bed-head, I am a princess.  My title is not an earthly one, but an eternal one.

I am royalty.  And so are you!  Smile like you know it, walk like you mean it.  Toot your horn and wave like crazy.  You are no longer a commoner.  You belong to the King!

Posted in Africa, Faith | 1 Comment »

In The Beginning

Mar 24th, 2011 by Amy

Adam and Eve.  Theirs was truly a life to be envied.  Can you imagine walking and talking with God in the cool of the day?  Can you imagine the lushness and beauty of the Garden of Eden?  What must it have been like to be fully exposed, naked, and unashamed?  Their relationship with God and each other was one of perfection.  Can you imagine?  It was a perfect world.

And then sin entered the picture.  Truth was distorted.  Deceit and empty promises enticed.  Eve chose first and Adam followed.  And what was pure and perfect, lovely and whole, became shrouded in shame and disgrace.

The first thing they noticed once their eyes were opened was their nakedness.  They scrambled to cover themselves up – to cover up their shame, to hide and withdraw.  Sad.  This wasn’t what God intended, but in his love he gave them the freedom to choose.  And they chose.

When God found them – he is a God who pursues – he noticed their efforts to clothe themselves.  He was disappointed and, dare I say, heartbroken.  The freedom to be bare and completely known was gone.  There were severe consequences for these actions, and we are still dealing with them today.  And yet, even as God brought firm discipline to Adam and Eve for their disobedience, he extended grace.  God made garments for them, out of skin, and clothed them.  He knew the curse of sin that now entered the world, and he knew the shame that they would carry as a result of their sin, and so out of love he graciously clothed them and covered up their shame.

We have stuff.  We have pain.  We carry around our ugliness, our insecurities and our pasts – each one of us.  But most of us are pretty good and hiding behind our fig leaves.  We cover up our shame through good deeds, nice clothes, success, and lots of Bible knowledge.  We are terrified to let anyone see our nakedness.  But God sees.  He knows.  He longs, not to hide our sin, but to cover our sin with his grace.  While he isn’t in the business of making animal print pencil skirts and blouses, he is in the business of restoring and covering our sin with his perfect love and undeserved grace.  When Christ died on the cross he did so in order to bring this story of redemption full circle.  He covered Adam and Eve’s physical nakedness in the Garden, but now we are covered completely in his blood.

This is good.  Shame and confusion, hiding and fear, are the things that initially drove Adam and Eve away from God.  God pursued and exposed, and then he clothed them.  He is doing the same thing today.  He gives us freedom to choose.  He gives us room to make the unwise choice, but he also guarantees that his love is big enough, strong enough, and complete enough to gently expose our shame, and then cover us with His grace.

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Eternity Is Closer Than We Think

Mar 20th, 2011 by Amy

Last week an Ethiopian church planter was martyred, a wife and four children left without a husband and father.  A friend of mine miscarried her baby.  My grandfather passed away only a few days ago.  And we are all aware of the recent tragedy in Japan.  This has had me thinking about eternity.  Life after death.  What am I living for?

There is something profound that takes place when a loved one dies or tragedy strikes.  We are compelled to stop and think about what comes next.  As a Christian my thoughts linger upon eternity.  The reality that earth is not my forever home sinks in deep within my soul, and I find that these earthly worries – material distractions, how my hair looks and what I’m wearing – quickly fade into the background.  Suddenly my heart is drawn to the number one purpose of my existence, and that is God.  The hope that the cross gives us.  The grace that God has so lavishly poured out upon my life.  And the promise of heaven that awaits me.

I heard someone say that we can create “heaven here on earth.”  My inner response to this disillusioned statement is that earth is corrupt and sinful, messy and painful.  Earth is not eternal.  And I’m not living for earth.  I’m not looking forward to “heaven on earth”.  I’m looking heavenward to eternity with Jesus Christ.  Where there will be no more sorrow.  No more pain.  No more heartache.  No more prejudice.  No more fear.  No more sin.  This…THIS is what I am living for.  This is what that precious pastor in Ethiopia died for.  This is where my grandfather now walks and runs and sings.  This is where my friend’s tiny unborn child waits for her mother.

And eternity is closer than we think.  Beth Moore talks about our “ten minutes on earth”.  Our lives are a mere breath.  A snapshot in time.  Our moment is very brief here on planet earth.  Eternity is literally a heartbeat away.  Are we ready for it?

I want to be ready.  I want Jesus to say to me when I enter eternity, “Well done, Amy.  Well done.”  Until that time there is much to do.  Giving God my life.  Serving him and representing Jesus to a lost world.  Speaking TRUTH in LOVE.  Aware of and meeting the needs here in the present, but always looking upward to a better future.  And as my seven-year-old daughter would say, “We gotta love God like we mean it!”

Jesus.  How I so desperately need him, cling to him and know that this beautiful life beyond death was only made possible through his sacrifice on the cross.  I can’t repay that.  But I can give him my life.  I can do my best to point others to Him.  To point others toward eternity – to hope.  To Jesus.

Eternity is closer than we think.

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Out Of Poverty

Feb 12th, 2011 by Amy

She didn’t have anything.  She was probably all crumpled up with tender joints and dim with age.  Her posture low due to her poverty and humility.  She was the poorest of the poor.  And yet…she gave out of her nothing and gave God everything.

I haven’t been able to get this poor widow woman from Mark 12 out of my mind for the past week.  “She gave out of her poverty.” We have no concept of what poverty really looks like or feels like.

When I was a little girl growing up in Kenya, we would drive by a very large slum area every single day on our way to school.  The stench was unbearable, and the filth unimaginable.  There were no satellite dishes or television antenna poking out from the sea of flat roofs and tin structures.  There was nothing but mud, manure, mounds of garbage, and smokey charcoal fires.  This is poverty.

I know what it’s like when finances are tight.  There have been many times when we’ve had to cut back on our spending and watch every penny.  But the poverty I witnessed in Kenya is something I will never identify with.

Mark 12:41-44

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury.  Many rich people threw in large amounts.  But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.  Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.  They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything – all she had to live on.”

There is a great deal of conviction in that passage of Scripture.  Giving out of poverty.  My heart is aching.  How much of my life have I given to Christ?  How much priority do I give to the eternal, and what place do material things have in my little world?  Have I given so much of myself that it hurts?  Can I say that my day has been well spent?  Is the source of my security in how much I have here on earth, or in the steadfast faithfulness of God?  What am I attached to?

The poor widow had nothing of material wealth, and yet she still gave.  The things of this world meant nothing to her.  Her life was more than her current circumstances.  Her priority was God, and giving him everything, knew her source was not in the copper coins, but in her creator.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit.”

When we give out of our poverty God sees, and he is honored.

I wonder if perhaps Jesus is not simply implying monetary poverty, but spiritual and emotional poverty as well?  What if his message in this little blip of history is that he is not impressed when we give ourselves out of our natural giftings and comfort zones, but when we give of ourselves beyond what we have naturally or comfortably?  I think God is more interested in a heart that is completely dependent upon him, and willing to give, even when there is nothing left to spend.  I think God is not impressed so much with how beautiful the gift is, but how beautiful is the heart of the giver.

I feel challenged to take my eyes off of the natural, off of those things I can see and touch, and begin allowing God to lead and direct my steps, even if he takes me outside of my comfort zone.  I believe he wants us to give ourselves out of our most impoverished parts.  Because when we give out of our nothing, we give God our everything.


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