Grains of Sand

Busy people. The disciples had been running around the countryside teaching and healing. They were overwhelmed with responsibilities and people, and didn't even have time to eat, let alone digest their food. So when Jesus said, " Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest " (Mark 6:31) the chances are at least one of the guys had to stifle a "yippee." As it happens the devotional thought I read this morning in connection with this passage focused on the importance of taking time to rest, reflect and renew. Amen and amen. But I had to laugh. Jesus took His disciples away to a solitary place so that they could rest, reflect and renew. But people saw them, and followed them so that when they got to this solitary place, it wasn't solitary anymore. There were five thousand men there, and who knows how many women and children on top of that. What would you and I say? "Sorry, we're on vacation, on retreat, on furlough. Go home and we...

Reading: John 1, 2 Trust is as basic a necessity as food, clothing and shelter—but much harder to hang on to. Jesus knew the reality of that. Early in His ministry the crowds followed Him, eager to hear from the “new kid on the block” and to see the miracles that He did. It was the best show in town—at least for that moment. John 2:23 (NIV) says: “ Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name .” We put a lot of stock in those last four words: “ believed in his name .” But Jesus didn’t. Verse 24 goes on to say: “ But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. ” The Lord was compassionate, loving, forgiving; but never naïve. That’s a balance we sometimes find hard to achieve. The disappointments we suffer at the hands of others often make us bitter, angry, and protective. “I’ll never let myself be hurt by so-and-so again!” comes the cry of a wounded heart. I suspect that some peop...

“ The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners ” —Isaiah 61:1, NIV. Years after Isaiah spoke these prophetic words, they were quoted again in Luke 4:18 as God Himself walked among men. The mission of Christ was a redemptive one. His life models for us our mission in life. In John 13, on the last night before going to the cross, Jesus washed his disciples’ feet. For many this has become symbolic of what our service to others should look like. But the lesson goes much deeper than that. Peter’s initial refusal to allow the Lord to wash his feet prompted a conversation about redemption. Peter was embarrassed that his Master, the Messiah, should be on His knees with a washbasin and a towel as though He were an ordinary servant. When the big fisherman pulled his feet away, Jesus told him that if ...

Aha, I thought, as I read this morning's assigned verses. I figured I could pass on this set of instructions. The verses come from 1 Peter 3:1-5 which, as most people know, like it or not, have to do with wives submitting to their husbands. Since I don't have a husband, I thought I'd just skip over the passage without a second look. Then I took the second look. Some people wave these verses under the noses of wives like rotten cheese in a strong wind, admonishing them to behave themselves appropriately in their spousal relationships. A blog is not the best place to discuss all the issues that are raised here—and there are lots of them. But what strikes me is what this particular passage is actually addressing, quite apart from any other references. Take a look. " Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence ...

The verses assigned for today were "no brainers." " In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness " —Hebrews 9:22. All believers know that these verses combine an Old Testament ritual with a New Testament truth: To satisfy God's requirements, blood must be shed and Jesus Christ replaced once and for all, the need for the continual sacrifice of lambs when He took our place on the cross and died there, atoning for our sins. His blood made it possible for those who believe to receive forgiveness. Then something else came to mind. The Apostle Peter wrote: " To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps " (1 Peter 2:21). In the context, Peter is referring to suffering for the cause of Christ. But I got hooked on the idea of shedding blood as paving the way for forgiveness. Most of us believe that when s...