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Jesus walked here on earth radiating the brightness of God’s glory and flawlessly expressed God’s nature.

When I read words similar to that recently, I thought they were, my new favorite word, “profound.” But I didn’t know exactly why until I read them over and over and things started to jump out to me. I could easily have just flited over them. That’s my MO, you know, on to the next thing, the next sentence, the next “to do.” Even in my prayer and study time with the Lord, I’m a scooter. Sure, it might be the next verse, the next person on the prayer list, the next servant act, but nevertheless, I scoot.

Sometimes (most times) it is hard to slow our minds down even to just think about a phrase, a scripture, a prayer. To spur stop what we’re doing, silence the world and Consider This…

Jesus walked here on earth radiating the brightness of God’s glory and flawlessly expressed God’s nature.

Think about it. When I meditated (read it over and over, prayed over it, picked it apart) on this statement, although it initially piqued my interested, I found that the words penetrated my soul and I want to carry these words with me. Consider this…

Jesus walked right here on earth. He took steps. He moved about. He breathed. He built things with a hammer, maybe a table, maybe a house. He went to market. He went to church. He walked and talked amongst people. He had friends. He ate. He laughed. He cried. He taught. Consider this…

That while Jesus was here on earth in everything He did He radiated the brightness of God’s glory. Shine, Jesus, Shine! He did! Every single thing Jesus’ did had the purpose of reflecting His Father. Absolutely everything Jesus did filled this land with the Father’s Glory. Every word, every action, every deed, every step He took. Consider this…

Jesus flawlessly expressed God’s nature. His love, care, comfort, healing, provision, carrying, help, service — Jesus was God here on earth. Jesus was God in action. Consider this…

We are called to be Jesus here on earth. We are called to radiate the brightness of God’s glory. We are called to Shine! Let your light shine before all men. We are called to express God’s nature for all the world to see in every action, every word, every deed, every step we take. We are called to be the voice, the hands and feet of Jesus in this world. Look what happened when Jesus did. The lame walked! The blind saw! The dead rose! Miracles happened and lives were changed!

I thank the Lord today for helping me not to scoot, for helping me to Consider This…otherwise, I may have missed something Jesus wants me to carry in my heart.

Father God, thank you that Your Son, Jesus Christ, walked this earth radiating the brightness of Your glory and flawlessly expressing Your nature everywhere He went. That’s my prayer, Lord, that I, Beth, will radiate Your glory. That I will express Your nature, not my own, while I walk on this earth. Lord God, show me Your glory!!. Lord, I want to radiate Your glory! Not my nature, but Yours. Ah, the glory shown all around. Holy Spirit, work in me so that the brightness shines through me. Change me! Draw me to Your Lord! Holy Spirit, instill in me the desire, the hunger for You. Set aflame the fire, a flash fire, Lord, that continues to grow and spread and burn and not just smolder into dying embers, barely giving light. Lord, may I radiate Your Light and heat. Your warmth, Your comfort that only being in Your Presence can bring. Father, Son and Holy Ghost, may today I walk on Your earth and radiate the brightness of Your Glory, and may I live out Your nature. To God Be All Glory! Amen.

Family Bible Church meets Sundays at 10:00 am at 1400 Echo Street, Martinsburg.  Come Consider This…with us!

There’s our gal. Her name is Haddy, short for Hadassah, one of the names of Queen Esther. The name Hadassah is rooted in the word Hada which means myrtle. Myrtle trees are symbolic of righteousness and known for their sweet smell. And she lives up to her name as she is such a sweet girl.

We’ve had Haddy about five months. Shenandoah, our Worst-Best, passed away in the fall and Haddy joined us shortly thereafter. I talked often of the many lessons Shenandoah taught me over her 11 years. I could see so much of myself in her, mostly the naughty, and I often thought maybe God called me His Worst-Best. I think at times He calls all of us that.

Haddy has a completely different personality. She doesn’t attack the windows when someone drives by, she doesn’t bark incessantly to the point of mania, she doesn’t fight with us constantly for the alpha dog position which we won only by tussle. She’s not fiercely protective. She loves other dogs. And, she’s less than half the weight of Shenandoah so she’s not a very imposing figure.

Haddy is so so sweet. She wants to please at all times. She wants to be right with you every step you take often laying on your feet and getting under your feet while you’re walking. She has a much quieter disposition, she rarely barks and then only at squirrels, bunnies and our poor cat Gracie. She is a super walker, we do miles a day. And she has one particular trait we have always wanted in a dog. She walks off leash. We’ve always wanted a dog we could take out into the yard without having to have it attached to us the whole time, without chasing every single thing in sight and running away. Haddy is that dog…

about 90% of the time…

You can take her for a walk and 10 out of 100 times she’s going to run off. Despite seeing it coming, you know watching her body language, yelling all the commands, and the aid of a training collar, 10 out of 100 times she sees something that she just cannot resist and off she goes. She usually returns within 5-15 minutes, after her chasing has ended and she’s exhausted, running excitedly and sitting at my feet, but as if she never left.

While walking on the ridge the other day, we stopped at the prayer log to well…pray. As I’m sitting there praying and meditating, she runs to me and I think how very much alike we are. She wants to please us. She wants to be in our presence at all times. But sometimes she gets a little too far ahead of me and the pull of the outside world, the temptation to run after something is just too much for her to handle. In those moments no amount of calling or correction can overcome because she’s got so many four-legged things on her mind that my voice is diminished. It’s not because she can’t hear me calling, because I’m yelling “no,” “stop,” “come,” at the top of my lungs. Because she’s not in my presence, walking right beside me, she is easily distracted and, deaf to my calls, off she goes.

So far, her consequences have been relatively mild. A firm correction from us. A dip in the creek on a super cold day making it a shivering walk home. A thorn stuck tight in her skin. A sore foot here and there. All mild consequences. But the eventual consequences should she run and get lost, or encounter a coyote, bobcat or bear, or run onto a very busy road, could be deadly. I say eventual because those dangers are out there and will prevail should she not live within the parameters, the boundaries, the protections we set for her. Sound familiar?

“But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.” John 10:2-5

When it comes right down to it 90% is not a bad percentage, it’s still an A on some scales. But that 10% means there’s room for improvement. 90% is not a bad grade, but God calls us to be perfect as He is perfect. We will not reach a perfect score, 100%, until we meet Him again, only He can perfect us. But we are called to strive for that perfect 100% (whole, complete), as He is perfect. We can’t do that if we don’t know His voice. We can’t do that if we don’t hear His voice. We won’t hear His voice is we are not abiding in Him, focusing on Him, giving Him our full attention.

Morning by morning He awakens me and opens my understanding to His will. Isaiah 50:4

When we return and sit at Jesus’ feet, He too responds as if we never left.

Thoughts on Easter. Oh I know, Easter was Sunday. But, what if we carried on like everyday was Easter? What would the world, or our little corner, look like? What would our lives look like if Easter was ongoing?  Interesting useless fact — another word for “ongoing” is “alive.” Hmmm. Do we want to carry Easter with us into everyday and not just on Easter Sunday? Do we want Easter to continue in our dailies? Do we want an ongoing Easter? Do we want to be alive? Just something to think about. Anyway…

We tend to holiday-ize some Bible events, don’t we?  Christmas and Easter are the easiest to secularize and as a people we’ve done an outstanding job of it.  Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.  Not a criticism, just an observation.  I’m speaking for myself, I’m currently all bunnied up and have gotten supplies for the egg hunt too.  But the down and dirt about it is that the birth of Jesus and the death and resurrection of Jesus are not secular events.  I must not forget.  The Easter story begins with death and ends with life.  We have to understand the death in order to understand the life.

Then they sat around and kept guard as he hung there.

Matthew 27:36

Crucified.  Were you there when they crucified my Lord?  Does that cause you to tremble, tremble, tremble?  Me too.  I know why the world has turned Easter into a parade.  It’s awful to think about a man hanging on a cross.  Give me the bunny.  It shocks the senses to think about folks hanging out just waiting for Him to die.  Let’s hide some eggs.  Secularizing Christian events makes them more easily understood, sometimes more bearable, more palatable.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, living for Jesus is definitely not for the squeamish. 

When I think about those who “sat around,” I wonder what they were thinking.  Crucifixions were not uncommon so they may not have been too affected by it.  Maybe they thought nothing – just another crucifixion.  Desensitized.  Maybe they thought about their market list.  Maybe they thought about watering the animals.  I know what you’re thinking – she’s so inappropriate, so crass, but let’s just be honest.  Let’s call a spade a spade.  If we can’t look at the crucifixion  for what it was,  we can’t look at it for what it will be.  Do we think of the crucifixion for what it was?  Harsh, cruel, horrific.

Then Jesus shouted out again, and he gave up his spirit.

Matthew 27:50

Dead.  The sinless One.  Died because we are the sin-full ones.  Do we think of it that way?  In my stead.  In my place, the spotless lamb.  If you know Jesus, not just the name, death is not the end, actually,  it’s just the beginning. 

“I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.  He isn’t here!  He has been raised form the dead, just as he said he would happen.  Come, see where his body was lying.”

Matthew 28:5-6

Resurrected.  The real Easter story.  The beginning of a life of eternity.  The key to all things Christian.  Just as He promised – I will come again.  Just as He promised, we will be resurrected to eternal life. 

I want to look at it a little differently this Easter go around.  I want to remember that Easter is not just a celebration of the spring season, but a celebration of the new life.  I want to remember that His death led to my life.  I want to remember that His death took the place of my death – here on earth and for all eternity.  That’s a very long time.

There’s nothing wrong with celebrating Easter with bunnies, eggs, bonnets and all.  But, if we forget about what happened at the cross, the crucifixion, and His death, and we fail to see the  resurrection, it’s just another secular holiday.  We must be Resurrection Day folks.  People who celebrate the life that led to death, that led to life, eternal.   Yours, mine and all who will receive Him.  Let’s live ongoing Easter every day – let’s keep Easter alive.

Perspective is a good thing. In our melodramatic lives where everything is exaggerated, somehow heightened, blown out of proportion, you know over the top, we sometimes lose perspective. We (I) sometimes lose the ability to see what’s really relevant and meaningful. You know, the important stuff.

Well, I was reminded of what was really important the other day. I was given a little perspective. A friend and I had previously shared with each other our schedules for our days leading up to Easter Sunday. All things we were excited about doing, but looking for ways to wring out extra minutes in which to do them. Holiday times are busy weeks for everyone, especially Holy Holidays. But as I was adding one more thing to her week (in addition to what she was already doing for me – don’t you love friends!) anyway, as I was mentioning she had a few things going on, this was her response:

Oh my!! I was thinking about how busy this week is and then I think of how Jesus’ week went. Mine will be alright.

Thwack! Humiliated. Humbled. Embarrassed. Rattled. Shamed. Truth spoken. Whoa! Hard Stop. Sometimes the Truth hurts, and it should.

I have read and reread that text so many times. I don’t ever want to forget the message within it, especially this Holy Week. No matter how our days and weeks go, they could never compare, not even one iota, to how Jesus’ week went. Mentally, physically, and spiritually Jesus’ week was torn apart. I don’t ever want to forget the gravity of what He experienced. His pain and suffering, His hard work (agony) at the Cross, all for me, all for you. That’s some perspective, isn’t it?

For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16

May we not forget Jesus’ week as we work our way through this Holy Week.

A wind warning has been posted for today. It seems we’ve had many of those warnings the past recent years. This picture is from 2019 when some high winds caused this tree to snap because of it’s inner condition. The state of it’s middle. Today’s wind warning reminded me of this tree and of the blog posted around that time in March 11, 2019. As I read over the blog for that day, I thought, how divinely aligned.

The Wind

The wind blew.  Coming from the west.  It began out of nowhere.  A soft breeze, a little swirling of the clouds.  At first, the breeze didn’t seem to be a problem.  A clean the leaves out of the flower bed breeze.  Those are always good.  It was a sun shining, breeze blowing, flag billowing kind of day.  We remarked at the beauty.  At some point though, things changed.  The sky became a little ominous, from sun gold to gray, you know the look.  The breeze picked up and it was wind storm watch.  As the day progressed, the momentum of the wind picked up and we were at wind storm warning.  The soft gentle breeze had turned to a wind advisory before we knew what was going on.  Batten down the hatches, mates.

One thing I noticed about the wind storm was the sound.  The wind usually pops over the mountain and flows right down Clock Makers Way.  Like a child’s slide.  You can actually hear it when it tops the mountain.  Then as it flows down the driveway, gaining speed and filling all the empty space all around it sounds like a freight train barreling by our house.  No kidding.  The force of the wind was so intense I prayed our windows would hold as our curtains danced to the 66 mph tune.

The wind can be refreshing on a hot summer day.  The wind can dry the saturated surface.  The wind can sweep earth’s floor.  I’ve often wondered if I opened my front and back doors on a windy day, if that could be considered vacuuming?  The dirt wouldn’t be sucked up, it would just blow through.

It is a mighty force, though.  The destructive forces of the wind are amazing.  Things in its path are broken, uprooted, torn, ripped, fallen, crushed.  We move our lawn chairs into the garage, we take down our flagpoles, we move our cars from under the trees, we try to build up, build around, and protect smaller outdoor stuff.  But sometimes, there’s nothing you can do to prevent the damage, or is there?

See that tree there?  It’s been there since we moved in seven years ago.  It’s a great tree, or was.  A big sugar maple momma.  It did its part, it shielded that side of our house from the sun, and provided a cool sitting spot in the summer.  It also provided a little protection from the wind.  But, it was no match for the 66 mph song.  Why not?  Because it was rotten inside, soft.  Oh, it didn’t look like it, it was beautiful on the outside, but decaying on the inside.  It was not strong enough to withstand the winds.  We had warning, over the last year or so, we had a branch down here, a crack in the trunk there. But, when the really strong winds came, it simply could not stand.

Just like trees on a windy day, life has destructive forces that can tear us apart and leave us broken, battered, sometimes limbless and cracked.  Many are self-imposed, all are harmful.  We are neglectful, decaying, sick in spirit and we simply can’t stand.  When gale force blows a dying tree will break.  There will almost always be warning signs.

I’m not a treeologist, I can’t tell you how to keep a tree from rotting, from decaying, from dying.  I do know, without a shadow of a doubt though how we can keep from rotting, from decaying, from dying from the inside out.  How?  The right answer to everything, Jesus!

You don’t have to wait for the End.  I am, right now, Resurrection and Life.  The one who believes in me, even though he or she dies, will live.  And everyone who lives believing in me does not ultimately die at all.  John 11:25-26

See that?  We don’t have to wait until the end to be alive!  His resurrecting power is resurrecting us, right now.  Do we live as Believers?  Jesus told Martha, if you live like that, you are alive, you don’t have to wait to be resurrected to be alive.  What’s that mean?  We are to live inside like Believers.  Not old, rotted wood, that may crumble at any time.  Not like we’re just waiting for the next branch to fall.  But live like we know whom we have believeth and are persuaded that He is able!  Live as Believers on the inside, allowing His resurrection power to work in and through us.  Doing so will enable us to sway to the winds of life that blow our way. 

We are pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.  We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.  For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.  So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.  2 Corinthians 4:8-12

The wind storms of life will blow us and we may lose a leaf here and there, a twig here and there, a branch here and there, but we will never perish.  We may be bent but we will never break.  Just as a rotted tree, has death working within it, so is an unbelieving life.  We know what will ultimately happen to that tree.  The evidence is above.  It may not be an instant death, it may happen branch by branch.  But we also know what will happen to a believing life, we will never die!

Something I’ve been chewing on a lot lately is rushing. As an ADHD kind of gal, rushing is one of my built in components. You know, do as many things as you can, all at the same time!

Now, as I’ve said before, I consider my lack of focus and energy to be great gifts. I can get many things done and feel very accomplished. But something I read a couple of weeks ago got me thinking.

Nowhere in the Bible is Jesus rushed, hurried, frantically doing.

In fact, I get just the exact opposite vibe from the Bible. In speaking about Jesus’s ministry, the Bible doesn’t say “He rushed from town to town…” It doesn’t say “In order to accomplish His work here on earth (His to-do list) Jesus hurried on…” and no where could I find in the Bible that “Jesus felt so burdened by the things He had to do on this earth, in such a short period of time, that He was franticly moving about.”

We are a rushed, hurried, frantic people. The world in which we live nowadays is certainly fast paced. It definitely demands a certain amount of mania, or you will get run over. We pack our heads full of requirements of things we must do. Our calendars have no free spaces and we struggle to keep up with the demands we place on ourselves. Life is busy for everyone. It should be, living takes a lot of work. Some would say it’s overwhelming. But sometimes I’m not sure the way we’re (I’m) living is the way Jesus would have me live. Frenetically moving to the next things, even the very good things, can be detrimental. Detrimental, study on that word.

Look at Jesus’s life. He was One Busy Man. Think about what was on His to-do list. Put a plan (one formed before the universe forming) in action in three year’s time, to save the entire world. Talk about busy! Three years to save mankind. And yet Jesus still moved along enacting His plan, without hurry, without rushing, without being frantic. If anyone had a right to feel overwhelmed by what needed to be done, it was Jesus. Hmmm.

We’re not to abandon our living here on earth. We’re not to abandon our ministries, our families, our work, our living. But we are to do it in the way Jesus did it. If our lives and our ministries are frantic, we’re not likely to attract people to the Jesus. Why? Because we don’t look different. We look like the rest of the world. Panicked, agitated, frenetic. No one wants more of that.

Jesus waited 30 years to start His public ministry, He didn’t rush out of the house at 18 to take on the world. Jesus waited 2 days before returning to Judea to bring glory to the Son of God by raising Lazarus from the dead dead. After 3 days Jesus rose from the dead to save us. Hallelujah, what a Savior!

We are to mirror Jesus’s life. His life drew people unto Him. Our lives should draw people unto Him. We need to look to Him as our example and not to the world. Jesus moved along with laser focus on His purpose, with calmness and with peace. How are we moving along?

One of my Dear Sister’s in Christ, persevered through some struggles last year. We all have struggles, don’t we? On a daily basis. Some are bigger, some are smaller. We can’t escape them. Cathy’s faith and hope throughout her experiences was such an encouragement to me. I asked her to share with you so that you could be encouraged too! Today’s blog was written by Cathy Mudge.

PRAISE OF JOY

A year ago, I faced some unexpected health challenges that are still lingering today.  In the dry wilderness, the Lord showered me with His refreshing love, mercy, and grace.  The more I feasted on His Holy Word, the more He transformed my life, healed my brokenness, and gave me joy.  Jo Ann Leavell explains it this way: “When you have clung to Jesus through pain and problems and experienced His amazing grace, you find JOY IN HIM.” Our joy increases as we become more intimate in our fellowship with God!

Often, I’ve considered memorizing scripture; but sadly, I never put forth the effort. Last month Psalm 103 kept surfacing from several resources, so I pledged to memorize the first six verses. I wanted this to be a sign of my devotion and praise to God the Father, King Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. A ‘thank you’ for the many lessons and blessings I received while He walked with me through my wilderness to a place of balance and restoration. Look at this golden psalm, a treasure from King David. (I replaced ‘your’ with ‘my’ so it’s from my heart.)

Psalm 103: 1-6:

Praise the Lord, O my soul and all that is within me.  Praise His Holy Name.

Praise the Lord, O my soul and forget not all His blessings and benefits.

Who forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.

Who redeems my life from the pit and crowns me with love, mercy, and compassion.

Who satisfies my desires with good things, so that my youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.

Ponder this passage and think about what the Lord is saying to YOU in the middle of your situation. Begin by praising His Name. I like to remember how he has taken care of us ALL our DAYS on earth. Only the Lord can heal us and take away our regrets, resentment, grudges, anger, selfish pride, fear, anxiety, and grief. He forgives our sins, failures, and mistakes. Jesus saves us from the pits of hell and gives us the peace that only comes from a relationship with Him! God walks with us every single day and provides strength to keep going. As we read His Word and follow His Light, He supplies us with energy and passion like we had when we were young.  He holds us up so we can soar and fly like an eagle reaching new heights. His Holy Spirit is the sustaining wind that guides our flight path as we face challenging obstacles and trials.  The Lord is our strength, courage, and peace when we become weak. He is on our side and rescues us from the enemy. God is delighted when HE WORKS FOR US and IN US as WE WORK FOR HIM. Praises of Joy for His Glory, Praise His Holy Name.

I can wholeheartedly say that memorizing Psalm 103 has changed my heart and mind and transformed my life. My prayer is that YOU may find a Psalm or specific scripture passage that touches your soul, one that you can read over and over again that brings praises and joy. Pray it, sing it, study it, memorize it, share it, and teach it to someone else. Use the power in scripture to replace your anxiety with the Peace of Christ. Shout it out loud when you are happy and recite it when the enemy tries to discourage you with fear. Let the Living Word of God heal your brokenness and make you strong and courageous. Then the fullness of HIS JOY on earth will point us toward HIS PERFECT JOY in Heaven.

A few months ago I stuck a note on my spindle.  A pointy thing that holds some of my thoughts I want to hang on to.  I can only hang on to them if I write them down.  If I come across a thought, I write it in my journal and then I write it on a scrap paper and jab it onto a pointy thing.  There’s something satisfying about the jab.  Periodically,  I’ll go through the spindle and be reminded of why something was meaningful to me and sometimes I toss them thinking, why in the world did I write that down.

Anyway, at the end of last year a thought made the spindle and it’s staying there.  It is a reminder that is pertinent to my life. 

If I trust God with my eternity, why don’t I trust Him with my nows?

This thought comes up nearly every day, for me.  When I’m thinking about circumstances or situations in my life or the lives of others and I see no way out, I dwell on this thought.  It gives me perspective.  The perspective is that if I trust God to keep His promises that I will go live with Him forever, no more tears, no more sorrow, no more pain, etc., and to be honest, I don’t doubt that one bit, then why don’t I trust Him to keep His promises in my right nows?  If I trust Him in death why don’t I trust Him in life?  Maybe because I’m not afraid to die, but I just might be afraid to live.  Hmmm. Chew on that a bit.

It’s a matter of trust.  Trust is not always the flip of a switch – click, I trust. Living grows trust.  Living through hard stuff grows trust.  When we do not trust God’s handling, God’s timing, God’s love for us, we take matters into our own hands and oh boy, what a mess we make.  Right?  

Am I more determined to navigate my own course than leaving it to Him?

I read something similar to this a while back and it gave me pause.  After careful consideration, I’d have to say a lot of times, yes.  I know, that shouldn’t be the case.  I should be relying on God to steer me through life’s happenings instead of trying to pilot my own course and trying to control the outcomes.  And when I’m piloting the course and trying to control the outcomes, which by-the-way I can’t do anyhow, that means I have a trust problem.

If I’m navigating my own course, or some might say trying anxiously to control, it means I do not trust Him.  Plain and simple.  Wait! No, I do trust Him, but…  We either trust Him or we don’t.  Granted, there is a disconnect sometimes between our minds and our hearts, sometimes we don’t always line up, remember the hind’s feet?  It is perilous when our back feet (heart and mind) don’t land in the front feet (soul and strength) steps?  We risk falling on the treacherous terrain.

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. Luke 10:27

Trust.  Reliance.  Confidence.  Hope.  Faith.  We cannot stumble through life with half-trust, picking and choosing the situations that God is capable of handling and those that we must handle for Him.  This creates so many bad decisions on our part and frankly, just a miserable existence.

Trust is a tricky thing, though.  We may feel it with our minds, but don’t know it with our hearts.  Or, we may feel it with our hearts, but don’t know it in our minds.  Trust is getting it all to line up and that’s a process.

If I am more determined to navigate my own course, my life will be a constant battle, kind of like a Pushmi-Pullyu.  My head and my heart are connected to one body but constantly battling for control.  Visualize that.  Only when we give up control are we given freedom from the tug of war.  Freedom to trust.  Freedom to allow Him to navigate our lives.    If we are constantly trying to control the outcomes of life, we will never have freedom.

When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him.  Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was engulfed by the waves; but Jesus was sleeping.  The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”

“You of little faith,” Jesus replied, “why are you so afraid?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it was perfectly calm.

The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey Him!”

Matthew 8:23:27

Do we not think that the One that controls the oceans cannot control the seas of our lives?  We are so like the Disciples charting our own course and then being engulfed by the waves.  Here’s the thing I love about this passage.  He rebuked the winds and the waves, but He did not rebuke the Disciples for their little faith.  I can’t imagine that the Disciples were not trying to control their boat during this storm.  I can’t imagine that they were not trying to navigate the waters, control the sails and bailing the water out of the boat.  Only when they saw they were not able to manage the crisis did they cry out to Him.  And He answered. 

Freedom comes when we cry out to Him.  Our freedom comes when we trust Him enough to take control.  It is a process.  But just like the Disciples, we can breathe a sigh of relief when we see He is true to His promises and trust Him more.

Only when we cry out to Him will we begin to believe that we can trust God with our eternity and our nows.  Then we can really start living.  Living in hope.  Living without fear.  Living in His promises.  Living in His Light.  Spreading His Light.

Do you ever look at the world today and wonder what has happened?  Have you ever viewed a particular situation or event and thought people have completely lost their minds. How could they?  What are they thinking?  What’s wrong with them?  What are they doing?  I know people have looked at me (you) in the same way.  Is she crazy?  How could she?  What’s she doing?  What’s she thinking? Has she lost her mind?  Quite possibly!

What does losing one’s mind look like?  How does one who can’t find their mind act?  How does one who is gone from their senses behave?  One (because I don’t want to point fingers at you or me) may act irrational (world’s opinion) – never!  One (again, no pointing) may have extreme thoughts (changing things that you never thought you would) – never!  One (again, the pointing thing) may become very outspoken and say extraordinary things (speak truth) – never!  One (again) may have responses that are not considered appropriate or acceptable responses to a particular situation (take a stand) – never!  Anyway, coming round the bend of Robin Hood’s barn, losing one’s mind calls one’s actions into question.  So, I ask myself, is losing touch with my senses such a bad thing?  Some may think so, but maybe not.

One time Jesus entered a house, and the crowds began to gather again. Soon he and his disciples couldn’t even find time to eat. When his family heard what was happening, they tried to take him away. “He’s out of his mind,” they said.

But the teachers of religious law who had arrived from Jerusalem said, “He’s possessed by Satan, the prince of demons. That’s where he gets the power to cast out demons.”

Mark 3:20-21

Folks thought Jesus had lost his mind too.  Why did they think that?  Because, to them, that’s what it looked like.  Of course, Jesus did lose His mind on them and went on to chastise and warn them in the strongest way – read the rest of the chapter.   

But, they actually thought He had lost His mind because of the way He acted.  His fervent displays of healing and supernatural power, was out of the ordinary.  Jesus was so bent on addressing the people that pressed in on Him with their cares, their brokenness, their need for healing, that He pulled long hours and didn’t take time out for a meal or a rest.  The kind of perseverance that He displayed caused his friends and family to become concerned about Him.  Existemi, that’s the Greek word used here for losing one’s mind.  It actually means to be displaced, to be outside of, to be astonished, amazed, out of mind, mad.  His family and friends tried to rescue Him because they thought he had become some  type of fanatic, that He’d lost His mind.  So, they showed up.  I remember as a kid my parents fetching me from someplace I wasn’t supposed to be.  That’s really kind of embarrassing, not for Jesus.  His mission was not to be deterred.  Check out His response.

Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him. They stood outside and sent word for him to come out and talk with them. There was a crowd sitting around Jesus, and someone said, “Your mother and your brothers are outside asking for you.”

Jesus replied, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” Then he looked at those around him and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

Mark 3:31-35

Jesus’ family came to fetch Him because they thought He was crazy, because they didn’t understand.  Do people look at us the same way?  They should you know.  Why?  Because we are to be like Christ.  Our lives must be so radically different that people want to understand.

If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

2 Corinthians 5:11-17

As in Jesus’ day, today anyone who displays a zealousness for Christ is considered fanatical and someone who has lost their mind, someone who needs to come to their senses. But the truth is that anyone who displays a zealousness for Christ actually brings glory to God.  In a nutshell, if we are out of our minds it is for God and if we are in our minds it is for others.  It’s circular.  Being crazy is being in the right mind. Being in the right mind is crazy.  Humbly delivering the truth (being in the right mind) to others brings glory to God (crazy).

Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.

2 Timothy 2:22-26

When folks look at you and ask “Have you lost your mind?”  The answer should be a resounding “Yes!”  In today’s world losing one’s mind looks normal to us, doesn’t it? So, if our words, our responses, our actions do not look different, if we appear to be like everyone else, if we do not stand out as different, if we look normal by today’s standards, we need to come to our senses.  We need to humbly persevere, despite the cost, just as Jesus did.

Happy Love Day! Everyday should be Love Day, shouldn’t it? It’s a day to express love, give love, receive love. To eat red hots shaped like hearts, give red roses and boxes of the good chocolates, to show someone how much you love someone. When I think of Valentine’s Day, I know it is about romantic love, but all I can think about is God’s love for us. This is obviously not romantic love, it is so much more than that. It is not just brotherly love, a love of the will, a love in return, a love because we’re loveable. It is a pure, incomprehensible, blood flowing red, heart on fire, sweet pursuit, lay down your life kind of loves. All loves rolled into one love divine.

Charles Wesley penned this love poem in the 1700s. It can’t be said any better today. Soak in these beautiful words.

Love divine, all loves excelling,
joy of heav’n to earth come down,
fix in us Thy humble dwelling;
all Thy faithful mercies crown!
Jesus, Thou art all compassion,
pure, unbounded love Thou art;
visit us with Thy salvation;
enter every trembling heart.

Breathe, O breathe Thy loving Spirit
into every troubled breast!
Let us all in Thee inherit,
let us find the promised rest.
Take away our love of sinning;
Alpha and Omega be;
end of faith, as its beginning,
set our hearts at liberty.

Come, Almighty to deliver;
let us all Thy life receive;
suddenly return and never,
nevermore Thy temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing,
serve Thee as Thy hosts above;
pray, and praise Thee without ceasing,
glory in Thy perfect love.

Finish then, Thy new creation;
pure and spotless let us be;
let us see Thy great salvation
perfectly restored in Thee.
Changed from glory into glory,
till in heav’n we take our place,
till we cast our crowns before Thee,
lost in wonder, love, and praise.

Has His love entered our trembling hearts? Has His love set our hearts free? Do we glory in His perfect love? Do we get lost in the wonder, love and praise?