Category Archives: Lordship of Jesus

The Fear of the Lord – Reflections on Proverbs 1

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Success… we all desire to have it.

King Solomon was the most successful King of the Bible. He amassed wealth and had great wisdom. God gave these to him because he had a heart that desired wisdom above all. Proverbs is a book full of wisdom that Solomon wrote about. The principles within are principles of success.

Solomon begins his book of Proverbs with the key ingredient to a successful life, “the fear of the Lord.”

The fear of the Lord is defined as a reverential awe of God that springs from a just view and genuine love for Him. The fear of the Lord leads us to hate/ shun evil. It leads us to aim for perfect obedience of God. Solomon writes:

”The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.“

Proverbs 1:7 NIV

When we see God rightly, (He is all powerful, all knowing, always present. He is Holy. He is just…) we want to love Him and obey Him. When we see God rightly, we want to run from sin.

Proverbs 1 says “fools despise” this wisdom. They “hate knowledge” and they do not “choose to fear the Lord.” (Verse 1:29)

We have started a New Year. Newness always brings about hope for success. The recipe for success is spelled out clearly in Proverbs 1:

CHOOSE TO FEAR THE LORD. See God for who He is. Love Him with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. And Hate Sin —have nothing to do with it. Run from it! Repent of it! Ask God to set you free from it!

Success in the New Year will only come as you choose to Fear the Lord!

This Man Has Done Nothing Wrong — Reflections on Luke 23

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We are familiar with the account of Jesus’ birth. We are also familiar with the accounts of Jesus’ death. The familiarity sometimes produces a carelessness in our approach to God. It is very true that Jesus loves us. This is why He came. Sin had separated us from God, who loves us so very much.

Jesus takes sin very seriously. He knows that our sin is what keeps us from experiencing Him and His love. It keeps us from being close and connected to Him. Jesus took sin so seriously that He was willing to suffer and die a horrendous death on the cross. He took upon Himself the punishment we all deserve for the sin in our lives. As the thief on the cross pointed out.

”We (himself and the other thief) are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man (Jesus) has done nothing wrong.”“

Luke 23:41 NIV

Jesus had done nothing wrong… He knew the only way we could be free of sin and it’s destruction was His sacrifice.

Jesus took sin seriously, but do we? We come to Him desiring for our lives to be bettered by Him, but freedom from sin comes through the cross. When we receive Jesus’ forgiveness and cleansing we then need to follow Him further to the cross. At the cross we die to ourselves, we die to sin so we can be alive in Him. Sin destroys! I ask you as Paul did, “How can we who are dead to sin live any longer there in?” Romans 6:2.

The Baby we celebrate this time of year came with a mission to destroy the power of sin. He lived His life on earth to fulfill the mission of the cross. As we receive the gift of Christmas— Jesus’ salvation, may we continue to follow Him from the manger to the cross where sin must die.

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

What is My Treasure? – Reflections on Luke 12

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Treasure- something very much valued. (Webster’s 1828 Dictionary)

What do we value most? Jesus speaks of this often in this chapter. He talks about being “rich towards God” (verse 21), seeking His Kingdom first (verse 31), and having our treasure— what we value most— in heaven, God’s dwelling.
What we value most, treasure, shows us where are hearts are.

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Luke 12:34).

Our hearts are the most important thing about us. It is where we experience the love, relationship, and intimacy of God.

We cannot experience this if our treasure, what we value most, isn’t God. We cannot experience the life of God if our hearts are far from Him.
It is important to ask God, “What do I value most? What is my treasure? God and His ways? Myself and my own ways?”

What we treasure is very important if we want to be close to God and to know Him.

All We Need- Reflections on Luke 13.

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Jesus came so we could know God in an intimate relationship with Him.  He has given us all we need to have that relationship. 

He taught us to pray.

”He said to them, “When you pray, say: “ ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation. ’ ”“

Luke 11:2-4 NIV

He encourages us to ask our Father in heaven to give us the Holy Spirit to live within us and fill us to overflowing. 

”If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”“

Luke 11:13 NIV

He tells us we are “blessed” – happy- when we hear the word of God and obey it. Verse 28. Because He knows our obedience to His Word will keep us free from the sin that separates us from Him.

God wants us to be close to Him. We can choose to be close to God in an intimate relationship that gives us freedom, joy, and peace.  Jesus provided a way for us to experience this through His death, burial, and resurrection.

Or we can choose to live apart from Him — Never seeking Him in prayer or in His Word, no relationship with the Holy Spirit, following our own desires. 

He loves us so and offers us His life for our own good! We get the choice to go His way or ours.

We choose. 

What Matters Most- Reflections on Luke 10

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Busyness… This chapter gives accounts of the disciples going out proclaiming the Kingdom of God and healing the sick in all the towns and places Jesus was about to go. AND the account of Jesus spending time at Mary and Martha’s house. Martha was so busy cleaning and cooking as Mary sat at Jesus feet listening to Him.

In all the effort and work that went on in this chapter, two things were pointed out to be the MOST important:

1. Your names are written and Heaven.

2. Sitting at Jesus feet listening to what He says.

Those two things are still the most important for us.

To have our names written in Heaven is to belong to Jesus, to have our names written in the book of life. (Revelations 20:15).

To know Jesus is to be near to Him and listen to what He says — have an intimate relationship with Him. It is knowing Him, His word, and spending time in prayer.

We can accomplish much in this life that will only burn up and be gone. May we choose what will be eternal — Jesus Himself.

“The Way of the Cross”

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Today’s reading is Luke 9.

Crowds were following Jesus everywhere. They wanted to experience His healing touch and to hear His words.

When Jesus and His disciples were in private, Jesus asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?” The disciples said, “John, Elijah, the prophets of long ago come back to life.” Jesus asked “But what about you?”

What we think about who Jesus is, is important. If He is “God’s Messiah,” the King of Kings, then He deserves the place of King within our hearts.
As Lord and King, Jesus tells us how we are to follow Him.

”Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.”

Luke‬ ‭9‬:‭23‬-‭24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We must abandon our ways, take up Jesus’s way and follow Him! Jesus’s way is the cross. The cross requires total surrender of ourself (death of our independent ways) so Jesus can live in us.

The crowds, who followed Jesus, could only experience Him from a distance. It was the ones who were His disciples that got to experience His intimacy and friendship.

This is true of us today. We can know about Jesus from a distance, or we can know Him intimately. But we must come to Him on His terms— the cross. His disciples will take up their cross and follow Him.

God’s Purpose- Reflections on Luke 7

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“(All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus’ words, acknowledged that God’s way was right, because they had been baptized by John. But the Pharisees and the experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.)“

Luke 7:29-30 NIV

God has a purpose, an intention, a design with an end in mind. How sad it is to miss that purpose!

The religious leaders, who rejected Jesus, rejected God’s purpose for themselves. They were wrapped up in their personal power and prestige. Instead of repenting, or turning from their prideful, selfish ways, they fought against the purpose God had for them. The rejected God…

However those who were the outcast and the sinners, were the ones who turned from their own ways. They “acknowledged that God’s way was right.”

We have the same choice in our lives today. God has set before us the choice to come to repent from following our own sinful ways, “acknowledge God’s way is right,” and to follow Him or to continue living however we want to live after ourselves, not God…

We were created to know God and to make Him known. That is our purpose. May His purpose be our highest aim!