Honest Reflections

“He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out?” Matthew 12:11 NIV

The passage today’s verse is found in is one of the reasons I love Jesus.  Jesus and His boys are hanging out on the Sabbath. God appointed one day a week as rest, that day is known as the Sabbath.  No work is to be done, yet here we find the disciples feeding themselves (Matthew 12:1 NIV).   The law abiding religious folks, Pharisees, judged their actions as sinful; and confronted them.  Jesus, the master of confrontation, knew exactly what to do.

The Pharisees, knew all of the Old Testament inside and out.  They carried around scrolls with the laws written on them. There are 613 laws that they spent their time trying to enforce.  Jesus knew these laws better than anyone. He knew it was impossible for man to live up to them. No one is capable of keeping all of those laws.  Jesus came to fulfill them for us once and for all, which He did on the cross. Jesus understood the Pharisees way of thinking. He understood how to talk to them.  Jesus doesn’t waste time, He speaks to our hearts.

 Jesus doesn’t waste time, He speaks to our hearts.

Jesus response to His accusers is simple.  He reminded them of what they already knew.  He reminded them David had eaten from the temple on the Sabbath.  Jesus reminded them about the priests who desecrated the temple, yet were innocent   He speaks to their hearts, telling them they don’t understand mercy. And then He makes His final point. He tells them He is Lord of the Sabbath.  And why is it important that Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath? Because He is the epitome of grace and mercy. The full story is found in Matthew 12:1-8 NIV.

Lord, if I could be more like You.  If I could judge less and love more, how much better the world would be.  If we could all show mercy to those who falter, our world would be brighter.  Jesus understood the fundamental principle we forget, none of us are perfect. We all make mistakes.  We all need mercy and forgiveness. None of us are capable of keeping all of the “laws.” Jesus had mercy on the Pharisees.  He showed them a new way to think by reminding them of the past. He showed them mercy. It was up to them to accept it, just like it’s up to us.  Jesus offers us mercy for our mistakes, it’s up to us to take it.

Question of the Day:

What area of your life do you need to accept the mercy Jesus is offering you?

Further Reading:Genesis 35:1-36:43 NIV, Matthew 12:1-21NIV, Psalm 15:1-5 NIV, Proverbs 3:21-26 NIV

“Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” Genesis 32:28 NIV

This message was given to Jacob after he had spent the night literally wrestling with God. He’s on his way home to make amends with his brother Esau, who he had wronged years ago.  On his journey, he makes peace with God as well. Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines peace as: Heavenly rest; the happiness of heaven.  In other words, Jacob has found rest from his struggles with God and man. 

Jacob as found rest by taking responsibility for his actions towards others and acknowledging, God is in control.  Jacob and Esau are twins. Years before this verse, he had stolen Esau’s birthright, as well as his blessing from their father.  Esau was born first, which meant he was entitled, by birth for both of those things. Jacob stole them from him by lying and stealing.  When Jacob fled his hometown, it was for his life. Esau wanted to kill him. Now he’s taking responsibility for his actions, facing up to what he has done, and through it, finding peace with man.  As he nears the day of actually seeing Esau again, he wrestles with God through the night. God humbles him further by hindering him. He touched Jacob’s hip, causing him to walk with a limp the rest of his life.  A reminder for Jacob of who is in control. Peace comes with a humble heart.

Peace Comes with a Humble Heart

Jacob’s journey is one of peace and humility.  Whether we like to admit it or not, we have all wronged someone.  We may not have stolen our siblings birthright, but we have snapped at our spouse.  We’ve lied to a friend, or done some other wrong. Admitting it, asking for forgiveness can be a hard road to walk.  Recently my husband and I had a heated debate. I said some things I shouldn’t have said. Acknowledging that I was out of line was difficult, but necessary to restore our relationship.  I learned from the experience. I don’t ever want to hurt him with my words again. I probably will at some point, but hopefully not the same way as I did that night. My relationship with God helps me to humble myself and say I’m sorry.

Our relationship with God begins when we say, I’m sorry.  When we tell God, we’re sinners in need of grace, we have found the starting point of new life.  When we receive the grace God gives us freely, we can find His peace. When we begin to accept our own human limits, we will be able to say I’m sorry easier.  We’ll accept our imperfections. We’ll do the best we can. And we’ll say “I’m sorry” when we need too. When we humble ourselves before God and man, we’ll find peace.

Question of the Day:

Who do you need to say “I’m sorry” to today?

Further Reading: Genesis 32:13-34:31 NIV, Matthew 11:7-30 NIV, Psalm 14:1-7 NIV, Proverbs 3:19-20 NIV

“Rachel said to her father, “Don’t be angry, my lord, that I cannot stand up in your presence; I’m having my period.” So he searched but could not find the household gods.” Genesis 31:35 NIV

Today’s verse is a classic child lying to her dad scenario. Rachel is leaving her homeland with her husband Jacob.  She doesn’t feel like she is getting the inheritance she deserves from her father, Laban. She has been told by her husband not to do this.  She is in rebellion to both men. She’s lying to both men. Rachel has a heart issue, left unattended, it affects the rest of her life.

Rachel and Jacob’s story is not normal.  Jacob worked 7 years for Laban to marry her.  When he had finally completed his duty, Laban, sends Leah into the marital tent.  Leah was Rachel’s older sister, custom said she had to marry first. When Jacob found out he confronted his father-in-law.  Laban told him he’d have to work another 7 years to marry Rachel. Jacob does it, he works 14 years to marry Rachel. Interesting love triangle Jacob, Leah and Rachel have together.  

All of these years later, Jacob is finally able to leave Laban and head home with his brides.  But Rachel has stolen household gods from her father (Genesis 31: 19 NIV).  The sad part to her story, she didn’t need her father’s inheritance.  Jacob didn’t need her father’s inheritance, he was successful without it.  They had God’s blessing on their life, they didn’t need anything else. Rachel’s sense of entitlement is planting a bitter root in her heart.  Instead of trusting God’s blessings, she’s decided to bless herself. In her act of rebellion, she planted a root of bitterness. Acts of rebellion plant bitter seeds.

Acts of rebellion plant bitter seeds.

Rachel wasn’t caught.  Neither her father nor Jacob ever knew as far as I know.  There is not one act of “punishment” so to speak, for her actions.  However, her life wasn’t great after this happened. She struggled to get pregnant, Jacob falls in love with Leah, and she dies a painful death in childbirth.  Her bitter heart led her to a bitter life.

Rachel’s ultimate problem was bitterness.  She was bitter she wasn’t getting all that she felt she deserved.  In today’s world, this is called entitlement. We feel entitled to a certain lifestyle, certain income, certain inheritance.  When we feel entitled to something, then don’t receive it, we become bitter. When we become bitter, we’re planting a bitter root in our hearts.   Bitterness grows as we feed it with more and more lies of what we think we deserve. If we’re not careful, we’ll become like Rachel, and live a bitter life.

Question of the Day:

What do your actions say about what is growing in your heart?

Further Reading: Genesis 31:17-32:12 NIV, Matthew 10:24-11:6 NIV, Psalm 13:1-6 NIV, Proverbs 3:16-18 NIV

 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” Matthew 10:16 NIV

In today’s verse, Jesus is sending out the 12 disciples.  He has given them authority to drive out impure spirits and heal every disease (Matthew 10:1 NIV).  This is part of His send off speech for His boys.  Jesus is saying, be on guard, people will try to deceive you.  People will try to manipulate you. People will try to get you off track from your mission.  Jesus is telling them, be aware. Don’t be like the people of the world, be like Me.  

Jesus understood that we are all wolves. “Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?” (Matthew 9:4 NIV).  We all have evil thoughts.  My husband and I are golfers. In golf, every time I tally my score, I have evil thoughts.  “I know the putt didn’t drop in, but it really should have. I’m not going to count that stroke.”  Golf is a self-regulating sport. No one is watching you. The easiest way to improve your golf score is to lie.  Every golfer has the same battle. We have the choice to lie or tell the truth. To be innocent as doves, we need to tell the truth.  We need to understand the consequences of lying and how easy it is to lie. That is being shrewd like a snake. When we tell the truth, when we count all of our strokes, that is being innocent as a dove.  Shrewd as a snake, innocent as a dove.

Shrewd as a snake, innocent as a dove.

The center verse of the Bible is Psalm 118:8: “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans” (NIV).  The psalm is thought to have been written by David.  David knew where to place his trust, because he had overcome giants.  David knew where to place his focus because he had known victory because of God’s help.  David knew there was only one place to take refuge, and that is in God. We can learn from David’s wisdom how to be shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves.  The answer is simple, keep our eyes on Jesus. Trust in Him, He will lead the way. He will be shrewd for us, He will help us be innocent as doves. We just have to stay focused on Him.

When I give my honest score in golf, I’m staying focused on Him.  When we forgive the person who hurt us, we’re keeping our eyes on Him.  When we set healthy boundaries with unhealthy people, we’re keeping our eyes on Him.  When we help others grow, we’re keeping our eyes on Him. When we realize, without Jesus, we can do nothing, we’re keeping our eyes on Him.  When we keep our eyes on Jesus, we’ll be shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves.

Question of the Day?

How can you keep your eyes on Jesus today?

Further Reading: Genesis 30:1-31:16 NIV, Matthew 10:1-23 NIV, Psalm 12:1-8 NIV,

Proverbs 3:13-15 NIV

“Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey…give me food to eat and clothes to wear …then the Lord will be my God and this stone…as a pillar will be God’s house,…all that you give me I will give you a tenth.” Genesis 28:20-22 NIV

In today’s story, Jacob is on his way to find a wife.  He stopped where he was on the road when the sunset. Using a stone for a pillow, he slept for the night.  He had a dream in his sleep. He saw a stairway with angels ascending and descending. God is standing at the top of the stairs; He gives Jacob a blessing.  When Jacob wakes up, he realizes God is with Him. He takes the stone he used as a pillow and makes a pillar to God. The pillar is a physical representation of the vow Jacob makes in today’s scripture.

Jacob asks God for 3 things: safe travels, food and clothes. Jacob doesn’t ask God for comfort.  He doesn’t ask Him for a donkey. He doesn’t ask God for money, or better stature in life. He asks God for the basic necessities he will need for his trip.  In America, we take the basic necessities for granted. God has blessed our nation abundantly. The majority of Americans have a roof over their head and food in their pantries.  We take for granted the blessings in our life, not satisfied with what we have. Our definition of necessity has changed since Jacob’s days. Necessity isn’t food, clothes and safety in America.  Necessity has become not having enough

 Necessity has become not having enough.  

My husband and I are RV’ers.  We love to go for weeks at a time, living in our trailer. One of the reasons we love camping, it reminds of us of what we don’t need.  We don’t need 2 bathrooms. We don’t need cable television or wifi. When we are camping, we’re more grateful for what we do have. We’re grateful to have a place to take shelter when it rains.  We’re grateful for the food we have. We realize we don’t need a packed closet of clothes, we just need enough. And we’re grateful for enough.

Agur, son of Jakeh, gives us insight into what is enough. “…give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God” (Proverbs 30:7-9 NIV).  Enough is our daily bread, according to Agur, that is all we need.  We live in the land of plenty, our daily bread overflows. We have more than enough, we just don’t recognize it.

Question of the Day:

What does enough mean to you?

Further Reading: Genesis 28:1-29:35 NIV, Matthew 9:18-38 NIV, Psalm 11:1-7 NIV, Proverbs 3:11-12 NIV

“Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.”  Proverbs 3:9-10 NIV

All through the Bible you will find references about what we are to give to God, today’s verse is one example.  The first 10^th of our crops, we’re to give back to God.  Why the first 10^th?  Because that is the best of what we have to offer. Tithing is giving 10% of our income to God; the practice comes from Malachi 3:10 (NIV).    I have had many debates about tithing.  Tithing is the practice of giving 10% of your income to the church.  My stance on tithing, the tithe is not about money, it’s about faith.  The question I ask myself when I tithe: do I trust God that He can do more with the 90% than I can do with the 100%?  In other words, will God provide for me? Do I trust Him? Tithing isn’t about money, it’s about faith.

Tithing isn’t about money, it’s about faith.

I first started tithing when I was on unemployment, up to my eyeballs in debt, at rock bottom.  My unemployment check at the time was $250/week. When I gave $25, it was a huge step of faith for me.  I was trusting God with my future. I was doing everything I could do to find a job, pay off my debt and get my life back on track.  I needed His help to provide the job. I needed the job to pay off my debt. I needed God’s help getting my life back on track. He did provide the job.  A job making more money than I had ever made before in my life. A job that allowed me to pay off the debt. 

The irony was, I had a much harder time tithing on the larger amount of money.  But I had too. God had grown my faith so much with $25, I could only imagine what He would do with more.  I had to keep my focus on Him. I had to remember who had really done the work, it wasn’t me.

Giving our first fruits to God isn’t so we can have less.  We don’t do it because God needs more. We give our first fruits, because it reminds us Who provided them for us.   We give our best because we want God’s best. We give the first 10th so we stay focused on God. When we keep our eyes on Him, He takes care of the rest.

Question of the Day:

What stops you from trusting God?

Further Reading: Genesis 26:17-27:46 NIV, Matthew 9:1-17 NIV, Psalm 10:16-18 NIV, Proverbs 3:9-10 NIV

“Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”  Matthew 8:20 NIV

An article from Relevant magazine says that the amount of money spent on Christmas presents the weekend after Thanksgiving is more than half what people donate to charities for the entire year.  The article points out interesting facts, such as 40% of food in America is wasted. One stat instantly convicted me; American homes have more TV’s in them than they do people. My husband and I have more than two TV’s in our home of two. 

Consumerism is the true religion of our day.  No one can ever get enough. We need a nicer car, bigger home, jewelry, more TV’s than people.  As Rick Warren says, we spend money we don’t have to impress people we don’t like. Not Jesus, He didn’t do that.  Jesus didn’t have a place to lay his head.  He didn’t have a house, He never drove a car.  On occasion He rode a donkey, but not often. The boats he travelled in were not yachts.  And from all of the studying I’ve done, I’ve never known Jesus to wear jewelry. Jesus didn’t come for things, He came for people.

Jesus didn’t come for things, He came for people.

The only way to break the hold of consumerism on our lives is to keep our eyes focused on Jesus.  The first commandment God gave Moses was, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:4 NIV).  The first thing God tells us to do is not put anything before Him.  Anything includes the majority of the things we think we can’t live without.  We think we can’t live without cell phones or computers, yet Jesus did. We think we need so many of the things Jesus never had.  All of those things can represent gods in our lives. They can consume us and we can miss out on the things that truly matter. We can miss out on the people God has given us in our lives.

I had lunch with a friend and her daughter.  Her daughter, only 20 years old at the time had spent 6 months in the hospital with a rare condition. To be having lunch with them was a true miracle.  There were times during her time in the hospital, we didn’t think she was going to make it. They had been stripped of all of their “stuff.” Hospital rooms tend to be drab and clinical.  For months they persevered, clinging to Jesus. And that was all they needed. They didn’t need stuff, they needed Jesus. By clinging to Him, He gave them joy in the midst of heartache. If we want to beat consumerism, we have to keep our eyes on Jesus.

Question of the Day:

Our you focused on stuff or Jesus?

Further Reading: Genesis 24:52-26:16 NIV, Matthew 8:18-34 NIV, Psalm 10:1-15 NIV, Proverbs 2:16-22 NIV

“So the servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter.” Genesis 24:9 NIV

Back in the days of Abraham and Isaac, one way people made an oath  was by placing their hand under the other person’s thigh. Jewish tradition says this is a physical act of submission to someone in authority.  In today’s verse, Abraham has asked his servant to find a wife for his son Issac. The servant is afraid the bride-to-be won’t want to come with him.  Abraham said if she doesn’t want to come, the servant is released of his oath. Then the servant places his hand under Abraham’s thigh and promises to do all that Abraham has asked.  He lives up to his oath, Rebecca does come back with the servant and marry Issaac. Happy ending for everyone.

But what if Abraham’s servant didn’t keep his word?  What if he didn’t fulfill his oath to Abraham? The New Testament upped the game with keeping one’s word.  James tells us, “Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.” (James 5:12 NIV).  If we are following Jesus, all of our words matter.  Our yes means yes, our no, no. Unfortunately, in today’s world, fake news is the norm.  People not doing what they say they are going to do is a way of life. We’ve lost the expectation that people will actually do what they say they are going to do.  When did our words become so meaningless? Let your “yes” mean “yes, let your “no” mean “no.”

Let you “yes” mean “yes, let your “no” mean “no.”

Matthew tells us, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” (Matthew 5:13 NIV).  We are the salt of the earth when we do what we say we are going to do, even if we don’t want too.  If we don’t keep our word, we lose our saltiness. When we show up at an event we said yes too, even though it’s the last thing we want to do, we are salty.  When we work on our marriage by keeping the vows made to each other, we are salty. When we teach our kids there are consequences to their actions by keeping our word, we are salty.  When we let our yes mean yes and our no mean no, we are salty. Salt the earth today, do what you say you’re going to do.

Question of the Day:

What can you do today to salt the earth?

Further Reading: Genesis 23:1-24 NIV, Matthew 6:25-7:14 NIV, Psalm 9:13-20 NIV, Proverbs 3:1-6 NIV

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” Matthew 7:15 NIV

There is only one way to spot truth, through the lens of Jesus.  “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” (John 18:37 NIV).  Exposing the truth is why Jesus came to earth. The ultimate truth, we are all sinners in need of a Savior. But there are a lot of false prophets in the world, the lies they spin so close to the truth, but not quite. They can easily deceive us.

I watched a Ted talk on “How to Spot a Liar” by Pamela Meyers.  Her studies have found some interesting statistics.  In the first 10 minutes of conversation between friends, on average 1 lie is told.  If you are talking to a stranger for 10 minutes, on average they lie to you 3 times.  The majority of lies told are little white lies, meant to protect, not meant to harm. The average person lies between 10-200 times a day.  She also discusses how our bodies betray us when we lie.  If a liar is saying no, when the answer is actually yes, unless they train their head to stay still, his head will bob up and down, saying yes while his lips are saying no.  Her study proves we are all liars, whether we want to admit it to ourselves or not. Lying is a part of our lives, discerning the truth is the challenge.

 Lying is a part of our lives, discerning the truth is the challenge.

Jesus’s remedy for identifying liars in our life, look at the fruit they produce  (Matthew 7:16 NIV).  The proof is always in the pudding.  When a person is following Christ, you will see the fruits of the spirit in their wake: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV).  If they aren’t producing that kind of fruit in their life, they are false prophets.  They are liars who have not taken responsibility for their lies. Liars weave their tall tales so intricately it looks like a spider’s web.  Eventually, that web will break and the truth will be found. Truth always survives when the web disintegrates. The person who brings the truth is Jesus.  When we keep the Son in our eyes, false prophets don’t stand a chance. The easiest way to spot a liar is to keep your eyes on Jesus. 

Question of the Day:
What truth is Jesus trying to tell you?

Further Reading: Genesis 20:1-22:24 NIV, Matthew 7:15-29 NIV, Psalm 9:1-12 NIV, Proverbs 2:16-22 NIV

“But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.” Genesis 19:26 NIV

“But Lot’s wife looked back…”, we don’t have to know anymore facts to understand what the problem is.  Five small words pack a hard punch. Here is the rest of the story. God had just destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, two cities.  God has sent angels to tell Lot and his family to get out of dodge, make sure they don’t look back. His wife, whose name is never known in the Bible, looked back.  The rest is history.

We can suffer the same consequence as Lot’s wife, we just don’t know it.  I met a lady years ago who was very angry with God. Her marriage had failed, she blamed God.  She had done everything “the right way,” maintained her purity until their wedding night. Why did her marriage fail then?  In her mind, that one act of obedience, staying pure, should have guaranteed her a perfect marriage. But it didn’t, because perfect marriages don’t exist.  The saddest part, the divorce was almost 2 decades old, but she was still stuck in the past. In essence, her life had become a pillar of salt because she was more focused on the past than today.  Avoid the salt, stay focused on today.

Avoid the salt, stay focused on today.

Everyone has a past.  Everyone has been hurt.  Everyone has an injustice that must be made right.  Everyone has a story. We can’t let the past hurts and injustices stop us from continuing our story.  The tension we live in between focusing on the past, staying present in the moment, and dreaming about the future is real.  If we get too focused on the past or the future, we have allowed salt into our lives. We are missing out on the moment. We’re stuck. We have become, like Lot’s wife, a pillar of salt.

But there is hope, there is Jesus.  He is the One who can help get you moving again.  He is the One who’s love and mercy can heal a broken heart.  He is the one that gives you hope and a future. He is the One who helps you forgive. He is the One that calls you to trust Him, believe in Him, love Him.  He is the One.

A pastor friend of mine taught me this saying, “Keep the Son in your eyes.”  I use it often to refocus my thoughts when I’m not in the present. When we keep Jesus front and center, we won’t have time to look back.  When we follow Jesus closely, when we keep the Son squarely in our eyes, we will live in the moment. We will seize the day with all we have.  We will avoid the salt.

Question of the Day:

Where is your focus; past, present or future?

Further Reading: Genesis 18:16-19:38 NIV, Matthew 6:25-7:14 NIV, Psalm 8:1-9 NIV, Proverbs 2:6-15 NIV