Author: admin

Livi gave me this plant.  It sits on my desk and as I click away at these keys, I sometimes look over and think of the sweetness of the gesture.  Today, I looked over at the deadness.  Dead lifeless leaves.  Some even crisp.  I touch them and they fall to a thousand tiny pieces of plant dust.  You see, I’m not a very good plant person.  Oh, I like them.  I think they’re pretty.  Plants give off oxygen and I’m partial to that.  I’m just not a good tender.

So, I reach out to this plant and start pulling off the dead leaves.  As I pick and pluck I notice that the more dead leaves I remove, the more new sprouts I see.  The plant is actually transforming before my eyes.  What looked dead only minutes earlier now looks healthy, alive, new.  Now that the dead leaves are out of the away, I notice what could be a small part of the problem.  It’s bone dry, Sahara-like.   The soil surrounding the roots is rock hard and pulling away from the sides of the pot.   I told you I wasn’t a good tender.

What makes things dry?  Lack of moisture.  Lack of liquid.  Lack of water.  I pick this poor baby up and walk her to the kitchen for a drink.  I turn on the spigot trying to make up for all the times I didn’t water her.  You know what happened, the water spilled over, the plate underneath the plant was wet, but the plant was still dry.  After a bit, the plant started slowly drawing up the water.  The plant sighed and you could almost see it smile.  I apologized and told it I would do better.  I told you I wasn’t a good tender.

This poor plant is not so much different than me.   Left untended my poor heart does the same thing. There are occasions when my heart is so hard, it’s mostly dead, brittle.  Yours too?  When the cracking and splitting start, it’s because I wasn’t a good tender.  The lack of water not only causes problems with the soil, it causes me to die.  Maybe not like keel over, but die nevertheless.  Remember, I’m not a good tender.  When I fail to strip away the dead things, the things that make my heart hard – hurt, anger, frustration, envy, deceit, meanness, busyness, just a plain ole bad attitude, you name it, my heart hangs on to the deadness.  The more I hang on to the deadness, the less likely I’ll have new growth.  New growth can’t grow from something so hard.

The King of My Heart knew me before I was born.  He certainly knew I would have tending trouble and therefore, have some heart trouble.  I was born a sinner, still am one.  He’s just the opposite of me, He’s all about the heart.   He gave us a way to get rid of the dead things in our hearts so that the new sprouts could grow.  He gave us a way to keep our leaves from becoming dry, brittle, dead, hard, fallen.  He gave us The Way for new life, for fresh sprouts, for new beginnings.

“If you are thirsty, come to me!  If you believe in me, come and drink!”  John 7:37

God’s love for me survives, even when I fail to take in what will sustain me – Living Water.  Regardless of my lack of heart tending, my dryness, my pulling away, when I sip, draw in the water of life, God gives me newness of life.  The dry leaves that keep me from thriving are stripped away and underneath there are new sprouts.

Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.  I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ and become one with him.  I no longer count on my own goodness or my ability to obey God’s law, but I trust Christ to save me.  For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.  As a result, I can really know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead.   I can learn what it means to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that, somehow, I can experience the resurrection from the dead!  Philippians 3:8-11

This scripture was referenced in a book I was reading recently.  Seen it a million times.  Today it stopped me in my tracks.  You know me.  I have this running dialogue in my head.  Some of you do too.  Maybe one of the reasons it stopped me in my tracks is because the author asked if this passage described me (you) and if that’s how other folks would describe me.  Wham!  Right upside the head.  I fall to my knees.

Piece-by-piece.  Bit-by-bit.

Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.  I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ and become one with him. 

Wow, complete surrender.  Surrender of thoughts.  Surrender of lifestyle.  Surrender of things, even good, but ungodly.  Is that true for me?  In the verses before, Paul laid out his life, a mini-autobiography.  You see, Paul was quite the man before he met Jesus on that road.  He was living the good life.  He was the ultimate Jew – from the tribe of Benjamin.  His tribe, along with the tribe of Judah (who came from there?) were the only tribes that returned to Israel following the exile.  One of the “it” tribes.  Paul was a Pharisee, a learned man, highly esteemed, highly revered.  He knew the law inside and out, moreover, he lived the law – to the strictest letter – to a T.  Paul was the real deal.  So, when Paul’s life did an about face, complete surrender, and he made the claims that “everything else is worthless,” he’s saying that his knowledge, his power, his position, his life, were nothing compared to knowing Christ – priceless.  Remember that commercial?  What’s in your heart?

What does complete surrender look like to me, to you?  Am I willing to chuck everything I have so that “I may have Christ and become one with him.”?  That’s a toughy isn’t it?  Let’s go around back – what am I willing to chuck?  Am I willing to toss out anything that keeps me from becoming “one with him.”?  You see, we do get to pick and choose what we will and will not take to the dump.  He gives us free will.  Here’s the thing though, until we lay it all down, not just the things we’d like to get rid of, we will not be “one with him.”  Some things in our lives and our hearts are easy to toss on the heap, some things not so easy.  What’s in your heart?  What do we need to take to the curb?

I no longer count on my own goodness or my ability to obey God’s law, but I trust Christ to save me.  For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.

Paul’s transformation revealed to him that he simply couldn’t be good enough.  He couldn’t count on himself, by following all the rules, towing the line, doing the right things at the right time.  No matter what Paul did, or what we do, we simply cannot be good enough to inherit the kingdom.  There is not one thing we can do – Christ has already done it.  God used His only Son to make us right with Him.  Believing on the Son, faith in the Son, is the only way.  Even rule followers cannot enter the kingdom without faith, not even Paul, not even us.

But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.  John 1:12

As a result, I can really know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead.   I can learn what it means to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that, somehow, I can experience the resurrection from the dead!

Paul trusted Christ, he had faith in Christ, and as a result he was reborn.  Paul experienced the resurrection power of knowing Christ and his life was transformed.  The things Paul previously thought were important were no longer important.  I feel certain that before his transformation, Paul used the same absolutes we use.  I will forever be a Pharisee.  I will always follow the law.  I will never follow this Jesus.   But, Paul surrendered and look what happened – just as Christ was raised form the dead by the glorious power of God the Father, he was living a new life, a life that will be resurrected from the dead to live for all eternity.

Remember, Paul thought he had it all before.  After meeting Jesus, he knew he had it all.  So, what are we hanging on to that is worthless compared to Christ?  What do we need to discard, take to the dump, get rid of, throw out?

Guess where that’s from.  Yep.  A laundromat.  I was walking down Maple Avenue one day on my prayer walk.  On the opposite side of the street from the Federal Building is a laundromat.  I don’t know what it’s called other than “The Laundromat.”  Anyway.  I was bebopping along and I happened to glance over at the laundromat.  This is what I saw right through the front window, plain as day.  SOAP.  BLEACH.  SOFTENERS.  I immediately thought of myself.  How clean am I, not how clean I am.   Not physically clean like, do I have dirt on my face, or is there a stain on my dress.  Clean as in my heart – cleanliness is next to godliness, right?

Is that in the Bible?  Nope.  So, where’d it come from?  It is alleged to have come from a sermon by John Wesley in 1778.  To be exact,  “Slovenliness is no part of religion.  Cleanliness is indeed next to Godliness.”  Break it down, Beth.  Slovenliness means untidy or unclean in appearance or habits.  At first glance, it could sound like Mr. Wesley was being a little pharissical (is that a word?).  Remember the Pharisees who thought the act of outer cleanliness (following all the rules) led to God.  But Wesley wasn’t talking about our physical cleanliness, he was talking about cleanliness of the heart.

What Wesley was really getting at was the kind of cleanliness that actually is next to Godliness.  A clean heart.  Wait, I have a clean heart, don’t I?  I’m nice, sometimes.  I do good things, sometimes.  I’m not such a bad person, sometimes.  Does my heart need to be cleaned?  Yep.  It’s pretty scroungy.  But you’re not alone, we all need to be cleansed from the dirt and filth that is in our hearts.  What’s that dirt and filth called?   Sin.  We all got it, we all need to get rid of it.  We were born with the need for cleansing.  All our hearts need cleansed.  Why our hearts?  Because that’s where it all starts.  Look what Jesus says to Peter:

“Don’t you understand?” Jesus asked him.  “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes out of the body.  But evil words come from an evil heart and defile the person who says them.  For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all other sexual immorality, theft, lying and slander.  These are what defile you.  Eating with unwashed hands could never defile you and make you unacceptable to God.”  Matthew 15:16-20

Here, Jesus is teaching about inner purity, purity of the heart, cleanliness of the heart, not washing your hands before eating lunch.  If our words, our actions, our deeds, come from the heart.  Guess where sin comes — from our heart.

It looks to me like I could use a good scrubbing, how about you?  How does it happen?  How do we get clean?  We go to the laundromat.  The Laundromat of Christ Jesus.  You see, He’s the only way to a clean heart.  He shed His blood so that we could be pure, clean, decontaminated, dissolved of sin.  His blood in exchange for our sin.  His blood pardons our sins.  His blood shed for me.  His crimson blood shed to clean my wretched heart.

If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth.  But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.  1 John 1:8-9

Not only does Jesus’ blood cleanse us from all sin, once and for all, the cleansing blood is also transformative.  It causes a lasting change.

Ahhh…do you feel cleaner already?  Then how about a little bleach?  What does bleach do?  It’s a disinfectant, a deodorizer, and it strips or removes color or stains – it changes, it transforms

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord:  though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as white as wool.

Isaiah 1:18

There are no permanent stains with Jesus.  He can remove even the toughest stain, the red like crimson stain.  After the stain of our sins is removed, real transformation can take place.  His life’s blood is a balm to our hearts that softens, smooths, calms, quiets, tenderizes and gets rid of the rough edges.

Soap.  Bleach.  Softeners.  All this can happen because of the blood of Christ Jesus.  I say can because Jesus doesn’t go where uninvited.  He will not cleanse your heart because it looks dirty.  He will only do so if you ask Him.  So, here’s the question:  Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power?  Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?  In the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb?  Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow?  Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Every now and then.  Have you ever thought of what that means?  We use that phrase a lot.  We use that phrase to mean occasionally, sometimes, not always, once in a while, every so often, every now and again.  It’s a funny phrase, if you think about it.  They call it an idiom.  What’s that you say?  My pea sized brain understands an idiom to be, basically, a group of words we put together that just don’t make sense.  A group of words that mean one thing but we use them to mean another.  Kind of like raining cats and dogs, bought the farm, see the light, eye of the storm.

Now, clearly, I’m not a grammar expert – did I hear someone say duh – but, I do like figuring out what words mean and how to use them.  This started when Livi was in Middle School.  She would use words that she clearly did not know the meanings, else she wouldn’t have used them.  I told her repeatedly – don’t use words if you don’ know what they mean.  It could get you in trouble.  One day, the tables were turned, and she called me out.  I had used a word that I thought I knew what it meant but, obviously, I was wrong.  Did you know the word “hookup” doesn’t mean to meet or connect?!   Sorry, rabbit hole.

Anyway, back to the phrase – every now and then.  When the words are used collectively they mean infrequently.  But let’s look at each individual word in the phrase, separately.  What does every mean?  It means all, or whole, or complete.  What does now mean?  It means today, instantly, right now, in this moment.  What does then mean?  Soon afterward, next in order of time, later.  Now is now – then is then.  Now is not then and then is not now.  Different periods of time.  Just get to the point, Beth.  Okay, here it is:

Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus.  Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said, “You are Simon, the son of John—but you will be called Cephas.”   John 1:42

Simon – before.  Cephas – after.  Simon – now.  Cephas — then.  He was Simon – he will be called Cephas.  What’s Cephas?  Cephas in Aramaic means “the rock.”  Cephas is Peter in Greek which means “the rock.”

Jesus saw Peter in the now – Simon, and he saw him in the then – The Rock.  Jesus saw Peter for what he could be, not what he currently was.  The new name reflects a new person, a new character, a new persona, a new life, a new birth, a new heart.  Jesus saw him in the now – what he was on that day – just Simon.  But, Jesus also saw Peter in the then – what his role would be in building the Church for all eternity.

In Mark 1, Jesus sees Simon out in a boat fishing.  He calls from shore:

“Come be my disciples and I will show you how to fish for people!”  And they left their nets at once and went with him.  Mark 1:16

Simon the fisherman – now.  Cephas the disciple – then.

You know, we are all called, like Peter was called – every now and then.  Jesus doesn’t occasionally call us.  He always calls us.  He calls us now – who we are at this moment because He sees the then – who we will be in Him.

In the now, Simon was obnoxious, harsh, impetuous, a reactor, a fisherman.  In the then, Peter was the leader of the disciples, he was bold and faithful, the encourager of persecuted Christians, a fisher of men.

We too can see God every now and then.  We can see Him in the now – today.  We can see Him in the then – transformed and changed for all eternity.

Agains.  We’re repeaters.  We’re habitual, routine people.  Life repeaters.  We were created to be orderly.  We do the same things over and over, again.  We (please, say I’m not alone) make the same mistakes, over and over, again.  We are creatures of habit, some good, some not so good.  Life for us is full of agains.   Do-overs.  The sun shines every day, again.  The moon rises every night, again.  And lately for us, the clouds roll, AGAIN!  The rain falls, AGAIN!  The streams rise, AGAIN!  Our basements flood, AGAIN!  We’ve had a lot of those agains this summer, haven’t we?

The Word of God is full of agains, of over and overs, of repetitions, repeats, reminders and one more times.  The word “again” is used over 1,500 times in the Bible.  Right off the top of my head several examples come to mind.  God rescued Israel, again and again.  God sent the plagues upon Egypt, again and again.  The prophets spoke the Word of God, again and again.  Despite who we are, what we are, or what we’ve done, God loves us, again and again.  God speaks to us, again and again, doesn’t He?

More agains.  Remember Isaac’s well story?  The Lord told Isaac to go where he was told.  Isaac would be a stranger in the land, but the Lord God would be with him and bless him.  Isaac obeyed.  The Lord guided Isaac to Gerar, the land of the Philistines, and that is where he settled.  Isaac’s crops and flocks were very successful.  The Philistines were intimidated by Isaac’s success and their King, Abimelech, told Isaac to skedaddle.  Since the Philistines had capped off all the wells, Isaac left Gerar proper and moved to the Gerar Valley and set up camp.

The wells dug by Father Abraham, that the Philistines had filled in after his death, were reopened.  Because of Isaac’s success as a herdsman, water was needed.  The Gerar Valley was actually located on the edge of a desert.  That tells you how precious water was.

His shepherds also dug in the Gerar Valley and found a gushing spring.  But then the local shepherds came and claimed the spring.  “This is our water,” they said, and they argued over it with Isaac’s herdsmen.  So Isaac named the well “Argument,” because they had argued about it with him.  Isaac’s men then dug another well, but again there was a fight over it.  So Isaac named it “Opposition.”  Abandoning that one, he dug another well, and the local people finally left him alone.  So Isaac called it “Room Enough,” for he said, “At last the Lord has made room for us, and we will be able to thrive.”  Genesis 26:20-22.

I love this story – Argument.  Opposition.  Room Enough.  Third times a charm!  Isaac didn’t give up, he persevered.  Again, and again, and again. Over, and over, and over.  There’s a lesson for us here.  If at first you don’t succeed…

Brother Peter talks about agains a good bit too:

I plan to keep reminding you of these things – even though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth.  Yes, I believe I should keep on reminding you of these things as long as I live.  But the Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that my days here on earth are numbered and I am soon to die.  So I will work hard to make these things clear to you.  I want you to remember them long after I’m gone.  2 Peter 1:12-14

Peter of all people knew about agains.  Remember, before the cock crows?   Again.  Again.  Again.  In the above scripture, Peter spoke as his time on this earth was drawing to a close.  He felt it necessary to remind.  Remind.  Repeat.  Say it again.

God of All knows about agains, he reveals his character to us through them.   He resisted Satan, again and again.  He preached, again and again.  He fed, again and again.  He healed, again and again.  He loves, again and again.  He was rejected, again and again.  He forgives, again and again.  I don’t know about you, but that is something I want to hear, again and again.

 

Remember trading as a kid?  You know, trading this pencil for this eraser in school?  Trading a friend this shirt for that shirt?  This piece of candy for a piece of gum?  Remember “trading cards?”  Pokemon cards?  In all these cases, you exchange something you don’t want for something you really want.  Trading something you value less for something you value more.

We’ve all traded something for something.  Maybe even something for nothing.  Think about your trades.  Have you ever regretted the trade?  What you got is not what you thought it was?   When you got it, it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.  What you traded was more valuable than what you traded for?

What’s she talking about you say?  I read this week in Genesis about Esau and Jacob.  This got me thinking about trading.  I’ve been thinking all week about my birthright and what I would  trade for it?

You may have heard about this famous trade.  This story about Esau and Jacob, the sons of Isaac and Rebekah.

One day when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau arrived home exhausted and hungry from a hunt.  Esau said to Jacob: “I’m starved!  Give me some of that red stew you’ve made.”  Jacob replied, Al right, but trade me your birthright for it.”  “Look, I’m dying of starvation!” said Esau.  “What good is my birthright to me now?”  So Jacob insisted, “Well then, swear to me right now that it is mine.”  So Esau swore an oath, thereby selling all his rights as the first born to his younger brother.  Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew.  Genesis 25:27-33

Aaaah…the coveted birthright.  The subject of many a family feud.   As I understand it, the value of what Esau traded was not insignificant.  As the eldest son of Isaac and Rebekah, Esau’s birthright would have been substantial.  According to law and custom, Esau would have received a double portion of all of Isaac’s possessions, and they were plentiful.  He would also have received authority as the eldest child in the family.  As part of these substantial possessions and authority, Esau would have stood to inherit the functions of the priesthood in the family, and the covenant promise of God.  Do you see what he traded for some beans and bread?  Do you see how huge this is?  Check this out:

The Lord stood saying: I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of your father, Isaac.  The ground you are lying on belongs to you.  I will give it to you and your descendants.  Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth!  They will cover the land from east to west and from north to south.  All the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants…  Genesis 28:13-14

Do you know who the Lord was talking to?  Jacob.  Do you know who the Lord should have been talking to?  Esau.  Esau blew it – big time!  Esau traded authority, possessions and most importantly the covenant promise of God.  The covenant promise first made to Abraham, then to Isaac, and then to Jacob.  Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob each had to establish a personal relationship with God in order to receive the covenant promise, however, for a measly bowl of soup, Esau blew the opportunity.  Do you see how huge this is?   Hold on tight and follow me:

This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of King David and of Abraham:  Abraham was the father of Isaac.

Isaac was the father of Jacob.

Jacob was the father of Judah and his brother

*****

David was the father of Soloman

*****

Matthan was the father of Jacob.

Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.

Mary was the mother of Jesus, who is called the Messiah.

Matthew 1:1-16

DO YOU SEE THAT?  I am so excited!!!   It’s the ultimate Treasure Hunt for the Kingdom!  Keep following:

And I saw a scroll in the right hand of the one who was sitting on the throne.  There was writing on the inside and the outside of the scroll, and it was sealed with seven seals.  And I saw a strong angel, who shouted with a loud voice: “Who is worthy to break the seals on this scroll and unroll it?”  But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll and read it.  Then I wept because no one could be found who was worthy to open the scroll and read it.  But one of the twenty-four elders said to me, “Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne, has conquered.  He is worthy to open the scroll and break its seven seals.  Revelations 5:1-5

The fulfillment of God’s covenant promise made to Jacob:

And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and though shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south; and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

Genesis 28:14

Esau traded his birthright and The Messiah descended from Jacob, not from Esau.  God’s got a plan.

I am a child of God.  Adopted by God, through Jesus Christ.  That is my birthright.  That is your birthright.  Don’t trade your birthright for anything, because then you will have nothing.  Go ahead — accept the blessing.

Did you know there’re folks out there that are Biblical Numerologists?  What’s that you say?  Me too.  I found that it’s the study of numbers and their relationship to events in the Bible.  Those folks are able to relate specific Biblical events with specific numbers.  For instance, Jesus’s transfiguration on the Mount was witnessed by three people, John, Peter and James.  Jesus prayed three times in the garden before he was arrested.  There were fourteen generations from Abraham to King David, fourteen generations from King David to the Babylonian exile, and fourteen generations from the Babylonian exile to the birth of the Messiah.  Who knew?  The Biblical Numerologists.  Anyway.  You get what I’m talking about.  Numbers are significant in the Bible or they wouldn’t be there.  Remember, God breathed.

I’m into numerology too.  I study numbers and their impact on my life.  Sounds a bit like the dark side, doesn’t it?  Palm reading, tarot cards, and lucky lottery numbers, right?  Wrong.  I’m not into that kind of numerology.

I’m into egg numerology.  I’m sure you’ve heard of it.  Haven’t you counted your chickens before they hatched?  I count the number of eggs I get each day and make a mental note.  Simple as that.  She’s lost her mind, you say and quite right you are, just not about egg numerology.  You know we have these seven chickens, my girls.  Each evening when I go to the barn, with great anticipation I count the number of eggs I gather.  Egg numerology.  What else would you call it?  The number of eggs my girls lay has a direct impact on the number of egg sandwiches we will eat at our house.  See.

It would stand to reason that with seven chickens I would get seven eggs.  That’s just not how it works though.  Some days I get six eggs.  Some days I get four eggs.  Yesterday I got three eggs.  Three eggs from seven chickens.  I have a few slackers. So, daily, I count.

When I think of numbers in the Bible, my mind quickly goes to this verse:

And the very hairs on your head are all numbered.  So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to him than a whole flocks of sparrows.  Luke 12:7

He knows the very number of hairs on my head.  Think about that.  Did you know the average human head loses 50-100 hairs a day.  That’s just gross, I know.  Here’s the point.  The hairs on my head change daily, hourly, minutely – by the numbers.  Do you know what that means?  It means that the God of the Universe, the Creator of All finds me so valuable that He knows when I lose a hair on my head, or when one grows in.  It means that every time my hair count changes, He knows about it!  But, it’s not my hair that’s significant.  If he cares about the insignificant things about me enough to take note of them, how much more does He care about the significant things that have to do with me.  Me, Beth, and you too.  Because He cares that much for me, I need have no fear.  He cares so much that:

He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.  He ransoms me from death and surrounds me with love and tender mercies. Psalm 103:3-4

Do you know what ransom means?  Ransom is a price paid.  It means a rescue from punishment.  It means deliverance.  It means redemption.  Ransom, the price paid to release a slave from bondage.  I’m the slave and sin is my bondage.  Without Him, there is no deliverance from my sins which are too numerous to count.

For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom for many.  Matthew 21:28

So, here’s a little of Beth’s Biblical Numerology for you…there’s a direct connect between my sin, my bondage, and Christ.  My sins and the sins for all were paid for by a Thirty-Three year old, the One and only child of God, on One Cross in Three Days.

I’ve been thinking about friendships a lot lately.  We all got ‘em.  There are so many different types of friendships, levels of friendships.

There’s the fast friend — the person you meet once and there’s an instant connection.  There’s the Facebook friend – someone who tells you all their business, but you don’t really know them or care that they’re headed to the grocery store.  The frequent friend – the one you see every day that knows most about your life.  The favorite friend – your go-to friend.  The forever friend – the one you’ve known forever and no matter the miles you know that person is a friend.  The flighty friend – the one who only calls when there’s a problem.   The finkish friend – the one who texts you and when you respond they never text back.  The fun friend – the one you laugh with.   The fanatic friend – the one you hide from sometimes because of their stalking tendencies.  The forgiving friend – the one that forgives you more than you deserve.  The faithful friend – the one who sticks by you, no matter what.  The fan friend – the one who cheers loudest for you.  The fellowship friend – just being together, no words necessary because you already know what the other will say.  The finder friend – the one who tracks you down after years.  The family friend – the sister who shares your heart.  There are so many more kinds of friends, but you get the picture.  Take a minute to think of your friends.

There’s my basement skating friend.  Yep.  We roller skated as kids in my parents’ basement.  Neither of us was very good, but it didn’t matter.  We were together.

There’s my always an adventure friend.  The one who ran for a broom (not to ride) when the mouse jumped out of the tack box right at my face!

There’s the national tragedy friend.  The one who is the answer to the “where were you when” question, with an inexplicable bond that can never be erased.

There’s my for keeps, no matter what, complete your sentences friend.

There’s the sister friend.  The one who shares my parents, my life.  Boundless love.

The daughter friend.  The holder of my heart.

As I thought about my friends, I also thought of the kind of friend I am.  Honestly, I’m all the above, and more.  I have been a fast friend, a frequent friend, a favorite friend, a forever friend, a flightly friend, a finishisk friend, a fanatic friend, a faithful friend, a fan friend and a finder friend.  I’ve been a good friend and a really bad friend.  I tell folks I’m not a very good friend, and it’s true.  I don’t know about you all, but I struggle sometimes stepping out of my own world – I’ve been told it’s not all about me (tsk! tsk!) – and stepping into someone else’s world.   That’s what friends do.

Friendships are hard because we(me) are…well, complicated.  I don’t know that God made us complicated, maybe complex, but I think sin makes us complicated.  Here’s what I mean.  The reason I’m sometimes not a good friend isn’t because of my friend, it’s because of me.  See it is all about me!  I’m selfish.  Ugh!  You too?   I think most (all?) of our problems in life (don’t throw stuff at me) arrive when we only think of ourselves.  What we want.  What we say.  What we want to do.  Friends are an assault on ourselves.  Good friends, not Facebook friends (again, don’t throw stuff at me) make us get beyond ourselves.  They require something of us.

There is another kind of friend that can heal and encourage all our friendships, who can help us get beyond ourselves to eternity – the Father Friend.

For since we were restored to friendship with God by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be delivered from eternal punishment by his life.  So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God – all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends of God.   Romans 5:10-11

Christ’ death on the cross has made us friends of God.  Blood brothers.  Soul mates.  It is only by His special favor that we have been saved.

…A new life has begun!  All this newness of life is from God, who brought us back to himself through what Christ did.  And God has given us the task of reconciling people to him.  2 Corinthians 5:18

As followers of Christ, our task is to tell our friends of Him.  Who do we need to talk to?

My husband, Tony.   Most of you know “my man.”  Tony is going through a job transition in his workplace.  A job opportunity came up within his company.  He applied for it.  He got the position. Tony did what most prudent folks do when a new opportunity comes up – he prayed.  Most prudent folks also evaluate the new position and make a list of pros and cons.  Even if you haven’t set it to paper, I’m sure you’ve at least made a mental list when faced with a big decision.  On Tony’s list, the pros beat out the cons.  You know the typical pros – good opportunity, more time at home, still work with people he loves, a new adventure, a new laptop.  He also had the typical cons – learning new job, change from the same ol same ol, more commitment initially, change, a smart phone.

You probably think that sounds funny, a smart phone as a con.  Who wouldn’t want a smart phone, the latest in technology?  Tony.  You see, Tony has a dumb phone, a flip phone – egad, gasp!  Yep, they still make them – who knew?  If you know Tony, you can clearly hear him say: “Why should I pay for a phone when this one is provided to me free and it does the job?”  He loves this phone.  When it chirps, he’s like a gunslinger with a tie down, right out of a Louis L’Amour book.  He grabs it out of his pocket and with a flick of the wrist, that only Tony can do (although Jon is a great imitator of this action) he flips it open!  Hello, this is Tony.  Quick draw Tony leaves all other flippers of the flip phone in the dust.  He is content with this flip phone for two reasons.  First, he doesn’t have to pay for it.  Second, it does what he needs it to do.  This flip phone is provided by his employer in order for him to do his job.  This flip phone is the right tool for the job.  With this new job though, all of that is about to change.

Yesterday, Tony came home from work and advised he had to go to York for a day of training for his new job.  I asked what kind of training.  He grinned – cell phone app training.  What?  He smiled and said – it’s training for a cell phone app.  I laughed – hard.  Isn’t that hilarious?  Tony is going to a cell phone app training class!  It’s hilarious because he has a flip phone – an app-less phone – it’s not even an app-able phone.  Smile.  Tony has to get a new cell phone because he doesn’t have the right tool for the job.  He needs to get the right tool for the job.

Let’s turn to the Word…In Bible times, folks were identified by their tribe name, their father’s name, or their occupation or job.    Rahab the prostitute.  Deborah the judge.  Joseph the carpenter.  Matthew the tax collector.  Simon the tanner.  God the Father.  Jesus the Son.  Holy Spirit the Counselor.

Jobs and occupations can be important, they can be descriptive of who we are, what we do, what we’re interested in.  Each job requires certain tools and it’s important that we have the right tools for the job.  Look at the examples above.  What tools did they use in their jobs or occupations?  Rahab – hmmm, we’ll skip that one.  Deborah – the Book of Law, a gavel.  Joseph the carpenter – wood, nails, hammer, and a band aid.  Matthew the tax collector – a pen, some papyrus, and a bank bag.  Simon the tanner – some hides, some salt, and a clothes pen.  God the Father, Jesus the Son, Holy Spirit the Counselor — outrageous love, a gracious and merciful heart, a forgiving spirit, a cross, wisdom, encouragement, and a world of misfit followers.

Although Jesus doesn’t have a worldly job or an occupation like we do, His job is far greater.  Jesus is God’s tool to save the world.  Jesus is Our Savior.

For God so loved he world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.  God did not send His Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.  John 3:16-17

If God sent Jesus to save us, if Jesus is our Savior, what is our job and what tools do we need to accomplish that job?  Let’s try it.  Fill in your name.  _________ the Christian.  Beth the Christian.  When I see that on paper, I feel so woefully inadequate.  All my mistakes and sins seem to flash before my eyes.  You too?  The truth is, I am woefully inadequate.  But, He is not.  If I am His, His Spirit is living in me, and He gives me every tool I need to complete each task of my job – forgiveness, grace, mercy, boldness.  Beth the Christian – Beth the Follower of Christ – Beth the Liver of Eternal Life – Beth the Disciple.  Knowing Jesus and sharing Him with others is my job.  He has given me all the tools that I need.  You too.

What’s the first thing you do in the morning, after coffee, of course?  One of the first things I do is check the weather.  Why?   Because I need to know what to wear, how to dress.  Whether we are getting kids off to school, headed to the barn, headed to work, headed to the store, to the doctor, or wherever else we might go, we generally check the weather first.

I’ve wondered what the weather was like the morning that Mary and Martha ran to the tomb of Jesus – you know, on the Third Day.  We don’t really know the answer to that, I don’t think, I’ve just wondered.  Am I the only one?  Our best information is that Jesus was crucified, died, buried, and arose again probably in the month of April.  April in Jerusalem could have seen temperatures in the mid-to-upper 70’s.  It’s just a curiosity thing for me.  Of course, in their time, they generally wore the same thing day after day, robes.

Have you ever thought about what you wear on a day-to-day basis?  What’s your style?  What do you put on?  Fitted.  Flared.  Casual.  Chic.  Sophisticated.  We’ve been talking a lot of style around our house lately.  Livi’s getting married next year and we’ve been talking wedding gown styles.  Mermaid.  A-line.  Trumpet.  Ballgown.  Etc.

Have you ever thought about what you wear to Church?  I’m not talking about standing in front of your closet trying to figure out if you wore that same shirt last week or if this tie matches this jacket.  I’m talking about what we really wear.  What clothes do we wear to Church?

The Book of Exodus is a memoir of the Israelites escape from captivity from Egypt and the progression of their formation as a nation – as the people belonging to God.   Believe it or not, in the Book of Exodus God gave the Israelites instructions on what to wear to Church – very specific instructions.

Make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth, with an opening for Aaron’s head in the middle of it.  The opening will be reinforced by a woven collar so it will not tear.  Make pomegranates out of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and attach them to the hem of the robe, with gold bells between them.  The gold bells and pomegranates are to alternate all the way around the hem.  Aaron will wear this robe whenever he enters the Holy Place to minister to the Lord, and the bells will tinkle as he goes in and out of the Lord’s presence.  If he wears it, he will not die.  Exodus 28:31-35

Ok, I don’t know about you, but I’d be wearing me a blue robe with some pomegranates and bells on the sleeves.  God ordered that Aaron and his sons would be set apart to minister and serve him and the robe was just part of the clothing for the priests.  Pomegranates and bells were to be alternated around the hem “and the bells would tinkle,” or chime.  The King James Version says:  “and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the Lord.”  The word sound comes from the Hebrew word “qol” which means sound or voice.

Can you visualize that?  A royal blue robe with colorful decorations and gold bells hanging on the hem.  How beautiful.   That’s not all, God had a matching royal blue turban made to complete the ensemble.

Attached to Aaron’s turban by a blue cord was a medallion made of pure gold.  The medallion was inscribed with these words:  “SET APART AS HOLY TO THE LORD.”  Aaron was to always wear the robe and turban so that the children of Israel might be acceptable to God.   This was a reminder to Aaron and the other priests that God is Holy and that they must be holy.

Just as Aaron was set apart to serve God – so are we.  How do we serve God?  By serving others.  Just as Aaron was set apart as holy to the Lord – so are we.  So, are we dressed for service?  When we are out and about serving God, do they hear the tinkling of the bells on the hem of our service garments?

Do we wear holy?   Do we look like we’ve been consecrated in God’s service?  Do we look like we’ve been chosen?  Not in our dress, but in our attitude?  Do our words speak holy?  Are our words encouraging or judgmental?  Do our bells tinkle with patience?  Does love hang from our robe?

Be holy, because I am holy.  1 Peter 1:16

Aaron wore the robe every time he entered the Holy Place to minister to the Lord, and the bells tinkled as he went in and out of the Lord’s presence.  Knowing Jesus makes us constantly in the presence of the Lord because His Spirit is living in us.  Is that not the holiest place of all – in the presence of God?  Aaron dressed so he would not die.  The veil was torn so that we might live!