Tag: Janet Lenz

“I am giving you a new commandment:
‘ Love each other in the same way that I have loved you.’
Everyone will know that you are my disciples because of your love for each other.”
 ~ Jesus  John 13:34-35

Jesus had just watched Judas leave the table, and leave the room. He knew exactly
what Judas was about to do, and the wheels of betrayal would begin to carry Him to the
horrific abandonment, physical torture, betrayal, and death on a cross. The brutal
punishment for what? Love. Perfect, sinless love.

With Eternity in His Eyes, Love stayed His Hand. He had Called Judas to follow Him.
Jesus had brought him into His closest circle of friends, knowing what Judas would do
with the trust Jesus had given him. He had not treated Judas differently than the other
11 of His chosen friends. Jesus had given him every chance to make a spiritual impact
on the world.

But there was something of higher value in Judas’ heart. It was himself. To lay down
his life to pursue following Jesus was not what he chose. That would cost him too
much. Money and all that it offered in life meant more to him.

Jesus knew the highest priority in Judas’ life. But He Called him to be His follower
anyway. He treated him no differently than the rest of His “inner circle.” For three
years, Judas had given his life to follow Jesus and had come to know Him personally.
He had been included, despite what was true of his own heart. And in the end, Judas
chose himself above the One Who had chosen him.

Following Jesus is not an easy Path. It’s messy. It’s difficult. It’s inconvenient. It
requires pushing our Will, comfort, plans and desires out of the list of priorities.
Surrendering ourselves to Jesus makes no sense in our world. It’s not normal. It can
require more of us than we could have imagined, or ever wanted to give. But as we
walk the Path upon which we follow Him, His Presence never leaves us abandoned or
alone.

And in those Moments when He catches our eyes or wraps His Arm across our
shoulder, or unexpectedly comes so very near, we are reminded of the greatest
privilege we have been given to follow Him and know His Presence, wherever He may
lead.

“Cast all your anxieties on Him,
because He cares for you.”
1 Peter 5:7

Sometimes, the Path we are walking becomes too hard, and we don’t know if we can continue on. Maybe the Path is one that God Called you to walk in the work of building His Kingdom. Maybe it’s the Path that your family is walking, including challenges, heartache, conflicts, or struggles in relationship with each other. Maybe the Path was going well, until something unexpected suddenly forced a significant, unplanned change of course. Perhaps the Path is simply within your own heart and mind, having a sense of feeling lost, with no clarity of how to get back on that Path you had known so well.

Peter had been on a familiar path in his life as a fisherman on the beautiful Sea of Galilee. He knew how to do it well. He had learned all the “ropes” of his boat, the Sea itself, and the nets for catching and selling the fish he caught.

But then one day he encountered Jesus, and his world turned completely upside down. Instead of dealing with fish, he was given a responsibility to deal with, care for, and lead people into a knowledge of the One Who had changed his life.

It was not an easy Path. Fishermen are not usually chatterboxes….more often they’re the quieter ones. He had to learn a whole new World, involving working with humanity instead of simple, reliable fish. Messy, difficult, emotional, unmanagable humans. Fish were a lot easier. Casting nets was far easier than casting emotions, worries, thoughts, heartaches and fears onto the God he was coming to know through his relationship with Jesus.

Peter had stepped into a whole new world. All he could do was to keep his eyes and his heart focused on the One Who had changed his heart, life, and eternal Destination.
What cares are you carrying? Whatever brought those cares into your mind and heart, . . . your life…God knows.

The same One Who Peter had come to know and love. . . and for Whom he eventually gave his life, is Present. His Arm is around your shoulder, and He is walking beside you on whatever road you are walking. He wants to make the journey with you. Talk with Him. He is listening. And He has things to tell you that will bring Peace to your soul.

“I have fought the good fight.
I have completed the race.
I have kept the faith.”
II Timothy 4:7

I recently heard a short news interview with a soccer player from a small
European country’s national soccer team. His team had been playing in the
European national soccer leagues for 20 years, but had never won a game.
The guy was SO excited to speak to the reporter interviewing him, and his
excitement was delightful and unexpected . . . He did mention that they had
scored a point once….on the field with the very best!

The reporter asked him why he was so excited, considering the 20-year losing
streak. His positive reply was delightful! He said, “We have had the privilege to be on the same soccer field with the best teams of Europe! How many teams have that opportunity!??? We have shared the spotlight with the very best, playing our favorite sport together as a team. What could be better than that?!!! We get to play!”

I have replayed his delightful, excited response many times in my mind. It
always makes me giggle!

And I wonder if God smiles as He watches us “on the field” with Him. Our
heartfelt energies for His Kingdom’s sake. . . trying our best . . . being excited for
the opportunity to simply be “in the game” despite the fact that our very best
efforts rarely even score a point.

We needn’t be discouraged because others are more skilled or productive than
us. Getting the highest score is not what matters most.

What is most worthy of celebrating is the fact that we can be in the “Game” with
Him . . . on the Field! He lets us play on His Team!

“That is why you are no longer foreigners and outsiders 
but citizens together with God’s people and members of God’s family.”
Ephesians 2:19

When did you become a citizen of God’s Kingdom? Are you aware of what changed in your
life? There probably would not have been any physical changes that suddenly appeared. You likely did not begin speaking a different language, or suddenly had a new history written into your life. You probably did not dramatically become a different person.

We have all met people in our local world who were not born in the US. . . foreigners. Becoming a citizen of our country did not suddenly change the way the look, act, or speak. They do not instantly know English, nor the customs and traditions and history of the people with whom they have become citizens. But they have chosen to take on a new national identity, and from that point on, they carry that identity. They learn the language, adopt the customs and traditions, and follow the laws of their new national identity, even though they are still the person they had been before that identity change. They made a choice, and they took on the identity of a legal citizen.

One of the highest honors I ever experienced was when the Saharawi government gave me
official citizenship in their nation. I had not made a formal request for citizenship, nor did I go through their normal legal system. The only reason that I was given official citizenship was purely based on the decision of their President to grant it. I did not look any different than I did when I made the choice many years ago to wear their women’s traditional melhfas, even though I continued to get entangled and trip, and unravel in the winds, as I had normally done. I did not suddenly speak their Hassanya language any differently than the mangled 2-year-old level that was somehow endearing to them. . . simply because I was trying. I did not look any different. I did not change as a person.

But by the President’s word, I now carried an official document – a legal passport – an identity I did not have before the President’s choice to grant it to me. God is the One Who intervenes in a person’s life and makes them a citizen of His Kingdom. Though there is nothing we can do to become a citizen of Heaven, the Highest Authority grants us citizenship in His Kingdom. A Heavenly passport that carries your name is granted by The
Highest Authority – God Himself – King of Heaven …granted only by His Grace, and signed by His own Son with His own blood. We are not fluent in His Language, we are not perfect in
obeying His Laws. We all came from the Kingdom of Darkness….the Kingdom of this world,
and He grants entrance into His Kingdom of Light upon the authority of the Word of His Son.

It will take time to know Him. . . to learn His Words . . . to understand His Ways and His Heart.
Your new identity will come in time, as He brings you into His Family, teaches you, shows you His Love and patiently guides you in how to live as one of His own family…His child. Though you were born into the Kingdom of this World, you will become more and more like Him as you walk with Him, talk with Him, live with Him, and come to know His Heart. Don’t be too surprised if you even begin to resemble Him in the eyes of those around you. A Family Resemblance.

  “Be still . . . and know that I AM GOD.”  

This morning . . . just a normal morning . . . God came near.   I hadn’t even asked Him, although He is always welcome.   He simply, gently, silently  came.

In the quiet of my room,  I sat down in my well-worn little chair, and in the quiet stillness   I simply  sat and began to soak in His Presence.  No flashes of Light.  No Words. No big revelations.  

Just His Presence.  I knew it.  I recognized it.  

And the tears flowed.  

Why today?  Why here in my room?  Why when I was all alone?   I hadn’t even asked.  

It didn’t matter.  He was here.

The cares  . . . worries . . . sadness . . . He stilled.   He was here with me.

That was all I needed to know.

“So I tell you to stop worrying about what you will eat, drink or wear. . . . Look at the
birds.”

Jesus continues His Nature Series, using the birds that were always flitting or flying
about on that mountainside overlooking the Sea of Galilee. Jesus continued on His
unscheduled, impromptu “event” which had drawn thousands by word of mouth.

It strikes me that those little birds were the living creatures Jesus chose to use as
examples of His “Don’t Worry” impromptu message. They hadn’t been “invited”…nor
prepared for the event, nor even listening to the Words being spoken to the unexpected
crowd of people covering their mountainside. They were just going about their “normal”,
and Jesus used them in His Sermon. No issues were addressed. . . they were simply
being what God had created them to be and do, and Jesus used them as easy
examples. The Lesson He taught through them is worth our own attention every day in
our own lives.

We can go for a while without food. But to go without water for more than a day would
bring more serious consequences in our bodies…consequences that can soon lead to
death. Jesus and the crowd were on a mountainside overlooking a beautiful body of
water. . . the Sea of Galilee. It is Israel’s greatest source of freshwater fish in the
country. Even now, fishing boats are plentiful and “plenty full” of fish from that beautiful
body of water. The lessons Jesus taught using the Sea of Galilee are just as true and
important for us as it was for those who gathered on that pastoral mountainside.

In our world, every person needs to drink water…every day. The consequences of
being without water are soon fatal. We all know that. All of nature knows that. It’s
scary to imagine having no water,… a basic truth for the whole world.

God has provided water sources for the whole earth. Man did not create water, and will
die without it. Jesus named it in His very short list of life-necessities in His Message
that day. In the context of the crowd overlooking the Sea of Galilee, the largest
freshwater body in the country, Jesus used it as a tangible object lesson for the people
as He taught.

The listening crowd of spiritually thirsty people heard Jesus’ Words that day as they
were looking at the backdrop of His Message. . . the Sea of Galilee. But they were tasting the greatest Source of Living Water speaking to them. . . One that would never
run dry.

“Jesus said, ‘So I tell you to stop worrying about what you will eat, drink, or wear. Isn’t
life more than food and the body more than clothes?
LOOK at the birds…”
Matthew 6:25-26

Jesus was out in the countryside on a high grassy hillside with a great view of the Sea of
Galilee. This had not been a publicized event, with spotlights, cameras, or even chairs. He just seemed to enjoy getting out of town and taking a breather from the crowds. He clearly found Nature to be His favorite setting to connect with His Father. . . alone.

Of course, somebody told somebody that He was there, and soon a huge crowd of people
headed to see Him. As word began to travel of this “Jesus-Sighting,” they came from
everywhere. From His high place beside the sea, according to experts on sound, the acoustics would have been amazing.

God’s people had a rough life under the brutal rule of Roman occupation. Nobody was “safe.”

That kind of life changes you. You never know when you’re being watched, or being reported to the authorities. The dangers were part of everyday life, and you never knew when or what might happen at any moment. “Normal” was danger and fear. “Worry” was like breathing.

Whatever brief reprieve Jesus probably needed was not going to happen. Not on this day. And He used the situation to speak into the lives of the people sitting on that mountainside
overlooking the Sea. It was a huge crowd. And it would be quite certain that their “Occupiers”were becoming aware.

Jesus’ words were not only good, but needed. “Stop worrying” is not easy for people living in a constant situation of danger. It affects everything in your life. There is no “safe place.” There is no certainty of what danger may come to you or your family. How do you even sleep at night?

In that setting, Jesus used common things of everyday life to remind these traumatized people that their God was Present. He was with them. He is involved in even the most “insignificant” details of their lives. Everybody could see a bird everyday, anywhere, whether a Roman soldier was standing there or not. God uses small things in our lives to remind us of His Presence, His care, His knowledge of what was and what is and what is to come.
If His Eye is on the needs of a sparrow. . . He’s absolutely got His Eye on you.

“You, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
Full of Mercy
Toward everyone who calls out to You.”
Psalm 86:5

David was clearly going through a rough time. I can picture him with his head in his hands,
downcast in his heart. alone, and very sad. We don’t know what was going on in his life, but he was doing what he often did . . . going to God and pouring out his heart. He was feeling
oppressed and needy. He was also aware that he could not fix the situation that was weighing on him so heavily. He was reminding himself of the truths of God’s character that he had learned from his own experiences with Him, since he was a little boy.

We all have those rough times in our lives, and we handle them in our own ways. I tend to pull away from people, primarily because I don’t want to make somebody else feel pressured to help me. I usually turned inward and tried to work through my problem alone.

Maybe David did
something like that, too. We don’t know. But this glimpse into his heart gives us a hint of where he turned with his times of sadness. He turns to God.

David specifically mentions that God is good. Is that what you believe? It sets the stage for
David’s foundational mode of viewing God and how He relates to us.
● God is good. . . just as a father or mother wants only good things to come to their
child…shielding them from the bad. A good father protects, provides, has good plans for
his children, and is always watching out for their good.
● God is forgiving. Children are always in a learning mode. They want to try things, do
things they see others doing, and chase after what they want, good or bad. Children try
a lot of things . . . some good, some bad. Those early years of exploration of their world
come with a lot of mistakes…messes….disasters…and ‘ow-ee’s. There are lots of
sheepish “I’m sorry’s” in the mix. In God, there is always forgiveness for failures.
● God is full of Mercy….for everyone who asks. He knows our human weakness. We
can look into our own hearts to consider what He is like….and how He has treated you
personally, and all of humanity. We humans don’t always show mercy to those who
have hurt us. But God does. David’s simple, short list exposes how he sees God’s
heart and His response to our failures.

May we continue to grow in these beautiful qualities that God models for us, His children.

“Wash yourselves! Become clean!
Get your evil deeds out of my sight.
Stop doing evil.
Learn to do good.
Seek justice.
Arrest oppressors.
Defend orphans.
Plead the case of widows.”
Isaiah 1:16-17

It’s not unusual for Believers to genuinely desire to do things that will please God and help to build His Kingdom during our time on earth. Everywhere we look (if we’re really looking) there are opportunities to get involved in “ministry.” God-followers usually sincerely desire to know what they can “do” as they walk through life in relationship with Him.

Long, long ago, God spoke these words to His prophet Isaiah. The people who had come to
faith through Isaiah’s messages needed some guidance of the practical applications of their faith. Isaiah was the key “voice” for that.

Partnering with God begins with focus and work on their own lives . . . our hearts and actions. God gave these words to Isaiah to pass along to the people who were choosing to follow God. The message applies to all people who have chosen to follow God throughout the ages. Including, you and me.

● First, there’s a mess to clean up in our own lives. “Wash yourselves” is very practical.
There are obvious things we each can identify that we know we can clean up by our own
choices. If we keep going to the mud puddle and splashing in it, we’re going to keep
getting muddy! “Step away from the mud puddle.”
● Once you’ve left the Puddle, and had your bath, you probably need to clean up your
room. The traces of the dirt you’ve dragged into your room will need to be cleaned up as
well, so that it will be most useable for its true purpose.
● Then God lays out some practical priorities from His own heart . . . tasks and service that
He entrusts us to do:
●Seek justice. Actively identify injustice, and step into the wrongs with actions
that help to stop or weaken its effects on people’s lives.
●Arrest oppressors. Don’t look the other way. Look for ways that you can stop or
at least slow down or disrupt the actions that are hurting other people.
●Defend orphans. Our cities are filled with children and youth who do not have
adults in their lives who are watching out for them . . . protecting them . . .
involved and investing in their lives. They are in the schools, in government
services, in care facilities . . . Their birth parents may still be living, but the children are largely “on their own.” Maybe it’s a neighborhood child who would
love to have a safe place to go after school for a little while until their parent gets
home from work. Maybe it’s through foster care. Maybe it’s simply giving a
single parent some “pause” in their 24-hour, 7 days a week parenting role alone
in their home.
●Plead the case of widows. Widows, by their very “title” , had a husband who had
married and cared for her needs. And then he died. There are new
vulnerabilities, complications, and needs which had previously been handled by
her husband. Those needs continue. His death has created an entirely new
reality for the widow….new realities which her loved one had always handled.

Thousands of years ago, God brought these priorities to the attention and responsibility of God’s people through his prophet Isaiah… from His own Heart. He saw these earthly “special vulnerabilities” of life, and used His Prophet Isaiah to bring them to the attention and active involvement of His people. God did not give a layout of a “program” to handle these realities…He brought it to the attention of His Own people. There are the practical details of the needs of the people that He Sees….He Cares about, and He cares.

But God chose to use His people . . . His followers….to be involved as His Hands, His Heart,
and His Feet to care for the priorities of His most vulnerable created ones.

“Learn to do good” becomes a reality. Begin with the specific examples He gave.

“How beautiful on the mountain
are the feet of the messenger who announces,
‘All is well.
. . .God rules as King.’ ”
Isaiah 52:7

A “new year” . . . a new chapter in our lives . . . and we don’t know what has been written for us . We may have already written some events in our new calendars . . . events that are always marked on the same date, no matter the year. But, typically there are more blank dates, and we do not yet know what is to come.

God’s people were awaiting news of the battle in which dearly loved family members were
fighting. There were no electronics for communications of how the battle was going. All that they could do was wait, pray, and watch for the runner who would appear on the crest of the mountainous barrier beyond which their loved ones were fighting for them.

That’s a very tough situation, a reality we all face in life. Situations beyond our control come, we long to intervene and “fix” the problem. But usually, it’s not truly in our own hands.
We just have to wait in our own silence for those things we carry in our hearts and minds to
change. . . for better or worse.

Isaiah knew what that was like. His people knew that experience well. The only news they had was the appointed runner who had to experience personally the battle, gather the information, and then carry the news back to his people. Climbing up the mountainous ridge would not have been easy, but essential. He knew that his people were waiting . . . watching for him. And everybody would drop everything they were doing when he reached the top and came into view.

All eyes…all ears would be attuned to what he would say. His words would be echoed by the
voices of those who were posted at a nearer distance to him when he appeared atop the ridge.

Everything would stop, as God’s people turned their full attention to hear the Message. In
silence, they gave their full attention to hear the words. . . words of life? Or words of death?

The Runner waited for the silence, knowing that the news he would announce could spell life or death in the lives of his people. This would not be easy. . . physically, psychologically, and emotionally. . . whatever he was about to report. It is a heavy, serious matter to speak words that may be of death or life for those listening.

Isaiah’s message this time to his beloved, suffering people of God, was Good News. He was
announcing the coming of the One Who would appear . . . would lead them . . . would be with
them and protect them. His message echoes through the ages . . . even “to us.”

May our lives, and our words . . . echo to the waiting world the Message we have heard.
“All is well. God rules as King.”