Category Archives: Jesus

“Take Hold” the Pursuit of Jesus — Reflections on Proverbs 4

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Have you ever watched a sprinter in the Olympics? They are all in: eyes focused on the finish line, every muscle in their body working towards the goal at hand, every thought in their mind concentrating on the race. Today’s Proverb speaks of a pursuit similar to that:

”Then he taught me, and he said to me, “Take hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands, and you will live.“

Proverbs 4:4 NIV

God has laid out His path to victory for our lives— the pursuit of God Himself. He tells us to “take hold of His Words with all our hearts.” We are to be “all in” in our pursuit of Him!

The spiritual heart is where our thoughts, our feelings, and our decisions originate from. It is that heart that we are to focus like a lazer beam on taking hold of God’s Words. Every bit of our thoughts, feelings and our decisions are to be set upon His Word. Why? Because God is His Word and His Word is God (John 1:1). He is to be the focus of our life.

Verse 7 states “Get Wisdom (truth in practice- Jesus the Wisdom of God) Though it cost you all you have…” Jesus is worthy of our most focused pursuit! He is worth giving up our own plans, our own desires, our own ways in order to attain! Why? Because He is life itself! All the things we prize that are not of him are only “deep darkness” that “makes us stumble.” Verse 19.

We are to be like the Olympic runner I mentioned at first. Focusing all we are on the race towards attaining Him. It is the only way to have life that is full of joy, peace, and contentment. Because joy, peace and contentment are only found in Jesus, the Wisdom that the book of Proverbs speaks of pursing.

Jesus the Wisdom of God: Reflections on Proverbs 3

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Proverbs is a book of Wisdom or applied truth. In scripture, wisdom is knowing God, seeing Him for who He is, loving Him, and obeying Him fully. Paul refers to Jesus as being the wisdom from God. (1 Corinthians 1:30) When we see Jesus for who He is, God, we love Him and desire to obey Him. We will experience Him as the one “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.“ (Colossians 2:3 NIV)

Today’s Proverb describes the benefits of wisdom: long life, riches and honor, pleasant ways, peace, the tree of life to all who take hold of her, a blessed life… Solomon admonished his son to “not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight…” Proverbs 3:21. This admonition applies to us today. We come to God in need of wisdom. We need to know how to apply the truth in our lives. We apply the truth when we receive it and act upon what it says. The most practical way we can experience wisdom in our lives is to see Jesus for who He is, accept Him into our lives, and act upon what He says.

We are told in Proverbs 3:13 that we are “Blessed” when we find wisdom. To be blessed is to be happy and prosperous. Simply put the way to true happiness and true prosperity is to seek God’s Wisdom from above, Jesus! He promises to be found by us when we seek Him with all our hearts. (Jeremiah 29:13)

Once we experience God’s Wisdom from above, we must not let Him out of our sight. Our focus must be Jesus! As Solomon told His son, wisdom and understanding are life to us. (Verse 21). We cannot truly live happy and fulfilled (i.e. blessed) lives unless Jesus is the center!

Passivity vrs Pursuit – Reflections on Proverbs 2

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Knowing someone doesn’t just happen. Today my husband and I celebrate 31 years of marriage. I can confidently say that he knows me better than anyone else on this planet, and I know him as well. But our knowing each other has taken time, commitment, and pursuit. We have to be intentional in our relationship.

Today’s Proverb talks about how we must be intentional with God if we truly want or know Him and to be intimate with Him. It says we must: “accept” His words; “Store up” His commands; “apply” our hearts to understanding; “call out”; “cry aloud”; “ look for it as silver”; “search for it as for hidden treasure”. In short, We Must Pursue!!

If we truly want or understand the fear of the Lord- reverential awe of God because we see Him rightly giving us the desire to Love Him with everything we have and to Hate sin; If we want to “find the knowledge of God” i.e. Know Him…We Must Pursue Him!

We must take time to seek Him and commit ourselves to Him. The benefits of knowing God are endless. In verse 7 and 8 He describes a couple of them, Godly success in our lives and His protection.

”He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.“

Proverbs 2:7-8 NIV

May we commit in this New Year to pursue God and knowing Him!

Christmas — God’s Invitation to Experience Him — Luke 24

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There is something about a newborn baby being held upon your chest— the sweet smell, the warm cuddles, the tiny cries. The experience of holding your own is like none other.

At Christmas we celebrate the arrival of Jesus the newly born King and the experience of Him as He walked upon the earth 2000 — miraculous touch upon those He healed, the sound of His voice speaking the truth on a hillside, His laughter, His compassionate tears. Yes, Jesus was God’s invitation for us to experience Him!

Even in Jesus’s death we were invited to experience God — a voice crying it is finished, darkness, the earth shook, the temple veil torn. Then Jesus defeats death by His resurrection and once again the disciples were invited to experience Him. 

“While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”“ 
Luke 24:36-39 NIV

Look at me, touch me, and see! Experience Me as the Risen King!

Jesus is still inviting us to experience God! This is the very essence of the story of Jesus we read in the Bible. It is what we celebrate at Christmas, Jesus our Emmanuel — God with us!

His invitation has been sent to us — Come, see, feel my touch, experience and know Me!

The God of the Living – Reflections on Luke 20

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Christmas is about HOPE. Hope is the confident expectation of good. Jesus came as a baby to bring hope into a world that was darkened by sin and filled with death and separation.

The baby born at Christmas, Jesus, is the victor over death, and in today’s passage He proclaimed truth about who God is.

”He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”“

Luke 20:38 NIV

God is the God of the living. This year these words mean a lot to me. The older I get the more people I love have died. I suppose this trend will continue until I join them or Jesus comes. But for those who are in Jesus, death is not the end. Jesus proclaimed “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.” John 11:25 NIV.

Because of Jesus, I can confidently expect good even when faced with death. Because even though the ones around me die or I die, death is not the end. Jesus came so I could truly live!

Praise God who is the God of the living!

Hanging on Every Word He Says — Reflections on Luke 19

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“All the people hung on his words.”

Luke 19:48

Can you imagine what it would have been like to sit and listen to the very words of Jesus coming from His mouth? Can you picture His eyes as they would meet your own eyes as you sat in the crowd?

It must have been amazing to be there during the days He ministered in Jerusalem. Crowds followed Him everywhere He went. Perhaps they desired to just to hear His voice, or it could have been to experience His healing touch. Whatever the reason was Luke wrote that the people “hung on His words.” They simply could not get enough.

Jesus is the same today as He was then.

He longs to be the desire of our hearts and for us to “hang on every word” He says. He still speaks and He still invites us to come.

We can still experience Him!

Two Masters – Reflections on Luke 16

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What is created does not get to define itself. The creator defines His creation. He knows its purpose and proper use. For example, my vacuum cleaner cannot declare that it wants to be a refrigerator and then that is what it becomes. Cooling food is outside of what its purpose is and its proper use.

God is our creator. Because of sin, we tend to think the opposite — we create ourselves:

1. God created us to depend on Him. Once again we tend to think we are fine on our own doing our own thing.

2. God created us to be ruled by Him. However, we believe the opposite. We think we do what we want, when and how we want to.

We look around and see there has to be a God. So we want Him in our lives: His goodness, His blessings, His peace, and His joy. BUT, we do not relinquish the control of our lives to Him so He can work all these things into us.

Living like this will not work. It only makes us miserable because we are not living how we are created to live, owned by Him — His treasured possession.

Jesus warns us of trying to live the double life — for God and for Ourselves. He says it cannot be done. (This is reflected in our relationship with money- it’s pursuit and how we spend it.)

”“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”“

Luke 16:13 NIV

There is only one way to peace, love, and joy, surrender to God!

Jesus Welcomes Sinners- Luke 15

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”Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

Luke‬ ‭15‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus loves the lost and broken. He rejoices over the rebel who returns home. He “welcomes sinners.”

What comfort to know this is true! Because I have easily fit into each of those categories. I have been the lost sheep who intentionally wandered. I have been the lost coin that the angels of God rejoiced over when I finally repented and was found. I have been the prodigal who demanded my way and ended up eating “pig slop” instead of the spiritual food that God generously provides to those who dwell in Him as His child.

Indeed, Jesus “welcomes sinners!” And I am grateful. He welcomed me!

In Invitation to Dine- Reflections on Luke 14

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When I was in college, I went to Florida to visit my brother on my spring break. He was an officer in the Navy. During that visit I got the opportunity to dine in the officers mess on the ship he was assigned to, as his guest. The room, the special china for the officers, and the enlisted wait staff added to the whole experience. It felt like such an honor, especially for a small town Missouri girl.

In today’s reading, Jesus was invited to a prominent Pharisee’s home to eat. During that meal, one of the guests said, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” (Verse 15)

Jesus replied to this man with a parable regarding a feast. The guest who were invited were too busy to come. They had their own lives and agendas to pursue. So the master throwing the banquet sent out the invitation to those who would have never been invited to a banquet of honor – “the poor, the blind, and the lame.” (Verse 21). In fact, he wanted his banquet full so he sent his servants out with the invitation to the “roads and country lanes.”

Many do not realize how blessed they would be to attend the marriage supper of the Lamb. They spurn the invitation to the most important banquet they could ever attend. 33 years ago when I was invited by my brother to tour his ship and eat in the Officers Mess, I could have turned it down, but I would have missed the opportunity of a lifetime.

A banquet of much more significance is being prepared. Our attendance is of the upmost importance. Our host wants His table to be full. It is prepared for the disciples who follow Jesus.
Will we leave our ways behind in order to respond and simply come?

“In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot help my disciples.”

Luke 14:33 NIV

The Influence- Reflections on Luke 13

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Jesus preached the good news of the Kingdom of God and taught about wherever He went.

He compared it to a mustard seed. A tiny seed that when planted grows to tree that birds can perch in. He also compared it to yeast that works its way into the dough and takes effect on it. The Kingdom of God grows and it influences everything it comes in contact with.

This should be the reality of it in our lives. Jesus and His kingship should grow and influence every aspect of our lives. This growth and influence will overflow onto all those around us. As it does, we will experience what the people of Jesus time did when they encountered Him. They “were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.” (Verse 20)

We will be delighted too!