Monthly Archives: April 2014

April 22, 2014

Follow Me

By Rebekah

After a period of Lenten reflection and solemnity, we are now in one of the most joyous seasons of the church year. We focus on our Risen Lord, and in a few weeks will celebrate Pentecost – the moment that the Holy Spirit came in power.

So how does this season relate to our quest for holiness. While Jesus walked this earth He told his disciples to be perfect as the Father is perfect. But they had the living example of perfection in their midst. How do we of the 21st century follow such a command?

The message that Jesus gave to his apostles was always: “Follow Me.” Those were among the first and last words He spoke to Peter.

At the end of the Gospel of John (Ch. 21), Jesus has a conversation with Peter where He asks three times if Peter loves Him. By the end, Peter is almost offended or hurt that Jesus continues to question His love and loyalty. Peter, who not so long ago, denied Christ three times. Peter, who just recently felt the sorrow of his own failure.

John's account of this event is insightful because at the end, Peter assures Jesus that He loves Him. Jesus gives a somewhat ominous warning that this love will take Peter to a place he doesn't want to go (his own death as a martyr). It gets interesting when Peter sees another apostle and essentially asks “What about him?”

I think the response Jesus gives Peter is the response He gives to us all, “Follow Me.” There's a bit more to it, Jesus basically tells Peter that it's not his concern what happens to anyone else. Peter's commission is to follow Jesus. Period.

Our commission, mine and yours, is the same. Follow Jesus.

It doesn't matter to you how He uses me, and it doesn't matter to me how He uses you. I pray, that for my friends, some of that will overlap and we can share in the joy of service to our Lord. But at the end of the day, at the end of my life, at the end of this world, what matters is: did I follow Him. Did I live a life that will cause Him to say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

That question is, or should be, the motivating force behind every action, every decision, every choice. Is it pleasing to my Savior?

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April 8, 2014

In His Hands

By Rebekah

Psalm 31 has long been one of my favorites. The first half of the first verse says it all.

In You, O Lord, I put my trust.

What if you began everyday with that thought? What if you faced every problem with that frame of mind? How would it change your perspective?

It changes mine…

…if I apply it. When I'm facing a particularly difficult problem, especially if it's something I've faced before or something that drags out for a period of time, it can be easy to forget to start with trust in Him, my Rock and my Fortress.

In our lives we deal with issues everyday. Sometimes it's just a little issue, sometimes it's a big mess. We routinely rely on our experience and understanding to figure out a solution. After a while, we can begin to take that for granted and give ourselves a pat on the back for being wise or good. I hope we are those things. Those are good things. But they don't negate our need for God's wisdom and counsel.

When I get too caught up in my ability to handle things, I can forget to put ALL my trust in Him. Not just my trust for spiritual things. Not just my trust for personal things or easy things or really hard things. My trust for ALL things.

When I get too caught up in my ability to handle things, I find myself at verse 22.

For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before Your eyes.

I run around crying out for God's help wondering why He's not listening or telling me what to do. When in reality, He's waiting or me to stop trying to do it all myself and remember where I began.

In You, O Lord, I put my trust.

When I find that place, then I can rejoice with the psalmist and say to myself and to you:

Be of good courage,
And He will strengthen your heart,
All you who hope in the Lord. (v.24)

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April 2, 2014

A Simple Prayer

By Rebekah
Grant me, O Lord my God,
A mind to know You,
A heart to seek You,
Wisdom to find you,
Conduct pleasing to You,
Faithful perseverance in waiting for You,
And a hope of finally embracing You.
– St. Thomas Aquinas

What a prayer! I've had an affinity for Aquinas for quite some time, especially through his prayers and through the writings of Josef Pieper (German philosopher and translator of Aquinas). The above prayer says simply and eloquently the prayer of every Christian heart. We want to be pleasing to our Creator, to fulfill His will in our lives. It perfectly escalates from the mind to the heart and on through human contact with the Father to the final hope! the end of our race! the hope of our calling – finally resting in the embrace of our Lord.

Aquinas can be a bear – volumes and volumes of deep theological philosophy. But it's worth the effort to seek out the wisdom of those who have gone before. Early Christian fathers like Justin Martyr and Augustine and those who came later, but still centuries before our time, like Aquinas, they all give us insight into our Christian heritage. They bear witness to the same truth that we hold today. We can learn from them.

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April 1, 2014

Forgive Us as We Forgive

By Rebekah

Sometimes when I feel a need to pray but I don’t know what to say, I turn to the Lord’s Prayer. After all, it came from Jesus himself. It’s part of His instruction to keep it simple and not try to impress God or others with some long, rambling prayer (not that there aren’t times when we need to pour out our whole heart to Him). I think the simplicity is part of what attracts me to it when I’m not sure what else to say.

It’s not an easy prayer. Many churches of all denominations pray this prayer corporately on a regular basis. It’s one of the first parts of the Bible that I memorized as a child. So it’s easy to skim through it without catching the gravity of the promise. However, if you look closely, it’s a major commitment. One that challenges us to be holy.

Just a few verses earlier at the end of Matthew 5, Jesus is tell us to be perfect as the Father is perfect (Matt 5:48 KJV). Then He immediately launches into instructions on how to pray. Prayer and holiness are closely linked. You cannot grow in holiness without an active prayer life. Look at the pledge Jesus directs us to make in the prayer:

Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy Name;
Thy Kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil.
Matt 6:9-13 (KJV)

The part that gets me these days is verse 12: forgive us as we forgive others. Wow. Do we really want God to forgive us as we forgive others? If we want to follow the example of Jesus, then the answer must be: yes.

One thing I’ve noticed is that often the more I need mercy, the harder it is for me to give it. I don’t think that’s a coincidence. It reminds us of our common state of being humans, fallen creatures redeemed because of His grace and mercy. And it reminds us of our required cooperation with His grace.

I have a temper and am not always patient, especially with the public at large. Usually, I catch the thoughts in my head and call them into line before they escape my lips or become actions. When I start slipping and getting angry over things which I can’t control, or when my level of reaction is too great for the crime, I know that I should probably check my conscience. Usually, I find there’s something going on with me. I’m clogged up by unconfessed sin, apathy or some other internal issue. Once I clear that blockage, I’m once again able to allow God’s mercy to flow not only to me, but through me to others.

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