bible

Difficulty and Miracles

That hard thing you woke up to. It’s not the end. It’s the path. A path to what? It’s the path to a miracle you may not see coming.

Whether you’re battling pain, your health, financial trouble, or something else entirely—trouble never seems far away. Life is hard. That’s truth. But we live in a world where most people seem afraid to acknowledge hard things as a normal part of this life. They are. Life is hard. Difficulties aren’t the exception they are the expectation.

Expect difficulty. Lean into it. Not because you were hoping it would find you, but because you’re not afraid of it anymore. You can’t afford to spend your life dodging difficult things. Not only will it render you weak in a way you may never understand, it will Rob you of the miracle waiting on the other side.

No one knows peace like the one in the middle of life’s raging storm. No one knows warmth like the one trapped in the frigid wasteland. No one understands the miracle like the one standing on the precipice of disaster.

Don’t give up. Don’t quit. Don’t turn back.

As hard as whatever you’re facing right now may be, as hard as what comes next might get—your miracle is waiting for you in the middle of the insanity.

There’s an amazing stretch of scripture in the Gospel of Matthew. In chapter nine Matthew recalled a moment when Jesus healed several people in short succession. Each of those people were smack dab in the middle of a crazy difficulty. It was when things were terrible that the miracle showed up. That’s when things changed for them.

We shouldn’t go looking for difficulty. But we shouldn’t spend our days dodging it either. Your difficulty is fertile ground for the miracle that’s coming. Hold on.

“Out of difficulties grow miracles.“ - Jean de la Bruyere

How To Become Wise

We all need more wisdom in our life. I have a firm belief that wisdom is something God wants for us. Why? Because of just how much it will help us. So I wrote a 31 day guide for how to become more wise. Check out the introductory section below.

Welcome to the Trailhead.

I stood there just staring ahead with a big decision to make. I’m sure the importance of my pending choice was etched upon my face like a warrior choosing his weapon. This decision would set the course of my life for the foreseeable future. The weighty decision pressed down on me. I could feel my kids gathered behind me anticipating the outcome of this life-changing decision. Finally, it was time. “I’ll take three cups of chocolate with sprinkles and hot fudge please.” Whew, that was a close one.

Obviously, my choice of ice cream on an afternoon outing with my kids doesn’t carry the weight of the kingdom. But you and I make weighty decisions all the time. Sometimes they are overt decisions like whether to switch jobs, move to a new home, or make some other life altering change. Other decisions are subtle. They are the habits we carve out one choice at a time; in the way we spend our moments, consume our entertainment, or talk with friends.

Nothing we do is wasted. All of it matters—it shapes who we are. Do you know what no one has ever said to me? “Wow, I hope I am not a wise person.” I’ve never received a text that read, “I just made a really huge decision and I hope it was the wrong one.” That has never happened. 

On the flip side, it seems like someone reaches out to me every day needing help with a decision. They are facing a choice. They come in search of a friendly voice. Someone willing and able to offer counsel. Someone who will point them down the trail.

Once upon a time I was really afraid of letting people down. Now, many years later, I know letting people down kind of comes with breathing. We disappoint each other all the time. That’s not me being cynical. That’s called honesty. 

Do you know what would really let my friends down when they look for help? If I offer empty platitudes rather than earned Wisdom. So that’s precisely what I try to serve up; Wisdom.

Let me be really clear about something that won’t surprise you. It’s something my Mom, my wife, and a great many others learned a long time ago. I frequently falter where Wisdom is concerned. I don’t have Wisdom penned up in my backyard where I go to collect some whenever I have a need. That would be wonderful; But weird. Wisdom doesn’t work that way. There aren’t any tricks. There are no shortcuts to Wisdom. 

There isn’t a Wisdom Genie you can carry around in your pocket. You can’t throw a coin into the Wisdom Well. You can’t attain Wisdom wishing upon a star. No pots of Wisdom are waiting at the end of the rainbow. No Wisdom is to be had if you manage to chase down a unicorn.

Wisdom isn’t a miracle. Wisdom is earned. Wisdom is harvested one hard turn of the soil at a time. You acquire wisdom across a lifetime of trial and error. Good luck. I laughed when I wrote that because it sounds so fatalistic. Wisdom isn’t quite that hard to get. It’s not magic, but it’s not the secret prize waiting at the end of the Hunger Games either. 

There is a path to Wisdom. Sometimes it’s a clear next step on a well-trodden trail. Sometimes it’s a bushwhack through the jungle. Either way it is worth it because Wisdom is amazing. It calls to us from across human history. We can find it in poetry. We can sit at the feet of our elders and learn many lessons. Wisdom is incredible.

It’s no small wonder that God put Wisdom on the hearts of the many men who wrote what would come to be known as the Bible. In fact, right in the heart of the book many people call the “Word of God” is what is also fondly referred to as the “Wisdom Literature”. That’s no accident.

Wisdom will guard your heart from many things. But it will guard your head, your home, your wallet, and your well-being too.

Sometimes when I talk to people about Wisdom they get this look in their eyes like it’s too hard a thing to chase down. As if the pursuit of Wisdom is some grandiose quest God dangles in front of us like a carrot on a stick. Look, when it comes to God there are no carrots and there are no sticks. There’s just a really great Dad who loves his kids and wants what’s best for them.

Wisdom is not something God wants from you. Wisdom is something God wants FOR you.

In the heart of the Wisdom Literature is a small book that captures the culture of an ancient people led by wise kings. That’s not something to be balked at. This small book of thirty one short chapters holds the collective Wisdom of a kingdom that has long fascinated the world. And for good reason.

Have you ever found yourself facing a decision only to wonder, “what is the wise thing here?” Most of us have. Still, plenty of decisions are made with little regard for Wisdom. In fact I often sit and scratch my head wondering at whether or not we have decided to ditch Wisdom altogether!

The stories of the Bible show us that ancient people did the same thing. They routinely walked away from Wisdom. They made other choices. And their path suffered for it.

Wisdom carries weight, and it opens opportunities. The effects of wise living shape the world before you in so many ways; Even as the effect it has on your personal well-being shapes you for your own good and the betterment of others.

It would be a shame to leave Wisdom on the table. Instead, what if we leaned in when another shot at Wisdom showed up? What if we treated Wisdom like an old friend? What if we could sit at the feet of Wisdom and catch something wonderful? We can.

While becoming wise is not an overnight event or a one-off magic moment, it is a process that you can both invite yourself into and initiate. God made it possible one statement at a time all through the Proverbs.

What is a proverb? It’s a short saying packed with significance. And the Book of Proverbs is a collection of them unlike anything else in human history.

Over the next thirty one days I hope you will lean in to see what Wisdom has to say. Remember that it’s not asking anything of you. Rather it wants something amazing for you. A life of wisdom is better than you can begin to imagine. 

Wisdom leads us toward God. It brings about a unique sense of how to live. It provides order for how to follow and direction for where to go next. Wisdom cuts off the effect of chaos and invites us into a life that bears the remarkable stamp of someone in pursuit of God’s best life for them.

This short book is not exhaustive. You won’t look up at the end and say, “I’ve arrived at Wisdom.” But hopefully you’ll look up after these next steps together and realize you’re off to a great start.

Everyday together is meant to cultivate another step forward. I’ve written short segments I hope will encourage your heart, your head, and your hands as you set off to see what Wisdom has for you.

I hope you won’t just read it. Information offers us almost nothing until we do something with it. So each daily entry comes with a challenge. Sometimes the step I’m asking you to take is one you’ll do internally. Wisdom has to have a place to reside. You’ll work that in prayer and patience as you reflect on the thought of the day. There are also moments when I challenge you to get out into your world and do something. Both are vital.

As you put it all together you will feel yourself moving. It will seem a small thing if this is all new to you. Don’t be discouraged. Just keep going. If you miss a day don’t beat yourself up. Just don’t miss two.

If you really want to squeeze the trail for everything on offer, gather in the company of some good friends and take the journey together. There are questions at the end of each week to guide a group discussion. I can’t wait to sit around a campfire someday and find out what you’ve learned.

Thanks for checking this introduction to “The Wisdom Trail Guide: 31 Steps to A Life of Wisdom”. If you want to take your next steps toward a life of Wisdom order your copy today.

I Love My Bible: Blueprints & Buzzer Beaters

2015/01/img_9224.jpg The Bible is full of a lot of cool stuff. A LOT of it can be pretty tough to wrap your mind and heart around sometimes. But it's worth the effort to try. Why? Because the Bible is our single greatest source of information about God, and it's His single greatest method for speaking to us.

When you need to know tax code, you get a book on tax law; when you need to learn how to potty train a puppy, you read up on dog training tips; and, when you need (which is always) to both know more about and more of God you read the Bible. But it is way more than just a book. It's a bullseye from Heaven's throne. It's a guaranteed three point basket. It's an instruction manual.

Like all instruction manuals it was written in a variety of languages. So you will have to discover the one that you best understand if you hope to put its instruction to a good use. However, if you are willing to put in the effort to figure it out you will live a life full of the timely instruction of God.

God speaks to us through His Word. The words on the pages paint a picture of an eternal drama that is forever unfolding around us. It is remarkable. And like all good instruction manuals it unfolds a blue print for the way to make things work. And the biggest truth it has to deliver is that the only way things ever truly work is when they work through God.

The Word of God, full of timeless truth, is also full of truth that sometimes arrives just on time. Sometimes we forget what the blueprints say and we, or someone else, messes up the plans for our lives. Well, God's Word generally has something to say about that too. I often find that when I'm at my wits end is when his Word is the most personal. His Word is a blueprint for me to live and love by, but sometimes it's also a buzzer beater that comes just when I need it most.

I Love My Bible: Why I Don't App

2015/01/img_9212.jpg The Bible is awesome. It is insightful, inspired, and many other things—including sometimes confusing, scary, and sad. However, above all it is a collection of stories, poetry, prophecy, and correspondence that paints a picture of a singular narrative...

God's redemptive love.

I love it. And can't stop diving into it on a regular basis. But lately my bible reading has taken a new turn. I don't read on any of my bible Apps anymore.

It's not that I don't like them. They are absolutely amazing tools. In fact, we live in an age when access to the Word of God is more abundant than ever before. Digital resources are off the charts amazing. These days I have access to more information on my iPhone than my pastor had in his entire library when I was growing up in the 90s.

But that was not always the case. There was a time when the bible didn't exist in English. There was a time when incredibly courageous men of faith gave their very lives to ensure the bible was translated, copied, printed, and distributed. They were martyred for the Word of God.

It is an entirely personal choice that is in no way whatsoever theologically driven. I have no compulsion to push my preferences on anyone else. But I have stopped doing my daily reading through an app. I'm not knocking them. I still suggest my favorites to people. I still even use them at church or on the go.

But for my personal time with God I have elected to hold the actual book in my hands. To feel it's leather covering and crisp pages. To write in the margins. To make notes. Outline sermons. And appreciate the effort it took a great many people, inventors, and heroes to make it available to me.

Apps are awesome, and INSANELY useful, but for me there is just something almost degrading and impersonal about reading God's Word on the same device I use to make my grocery list or read last night's boxing highlights.

You see, I really Love My Bible. And that's why I don't app anymore.

More in I Love My Bible Attitude Matters

I Love My Bible: Attitude Matters

img_9211-0.jpg

/home/wpcom/public_html/wp-content/blogs.dir/2f3/26858223/files/2015/01/img_9211.jpg I am 34. I have been reading the Bible pretty much every day for over 22 years. But I didn't always read it the way that I read it now.

My dad is a high school art teacher—so growing up he, myself, and my kid brother all rode to and from school together every day. It was a cherished routine chocked full of memories. One of the constants from that season of life was a nearly daily stop at an automotive parts store managed by my uncle.

My brother and I would grab a stool and settle in for what was sure to be a long stop, my dad loves to talk. And my wonderful aunt who often helped around the store would inevitably strike up conversation with my brother and I. The talk almost always turned quickly to the Word of God.

"Nathan, you been reading your bible?" She would ask in her dearest friendly voice.

"Yes ma'am!" I would fire right back. But I hadn't been. At least not like she meant. She wanted to know if I had actually been trying to read and understand it on a regular basis.

True enough I had a bible. It was an old school style King James Bible complete with all of the thee's, thou's, shouldests, and such. It also had a handy zipper and nifty little portrait of some Caucasian guy (presumably Christ) holding a sheep on the cover.

I would unzip it and thumb through its pages on occasion, but not with any real desire or intentionality. But my aunt kept asking, and I kept pretty much lying about it.

...until...

I started feeling bad about it. I mean even an 11 year old knows you shouldn't lie about reading the Bible. So I stopped lying about it. My answer didn't change. I still told my aunt that I had been reading, but from that point on it was the truth.

What began as an attempt to assuage my guilt and dodge a difficult question transformed into a daily habit which has since directed the course of my entire adult life.

The Bible is more than book (actually it's a library.) It is bigger than the sum of our collective moral posturing. It is more powerful than the poets, prophets, statesmen, and martyrs who penned its many truths. It is not to be worshipped, though it is meant to be a spotlight that shines on the recipient of all our adoration.

And you will get out of it in direct proportion to the attitude accompanying your heart when at last you arrive at the border of its pages and paragraphs.

Because it is full of information but it also full of so much more.

More in I Love My Bible. Why I Don't App

Rescued

“They are your people still, your inheritance whom you powerfully and sovereignly rescued.” (Deuteronomy 9:29 MSG) Moses is talking to God in this passage. Recounting a series of moments in which he interceded for the wayward Israelites. And this final verse of the chapter paints such a clear picture of God's work. The powerful and sovereign work of God didn't stop with the Israelites in the Old Testament.

God rescues! He is the rescuer. He comes into our mess. Our trouble. Our problems. Our pains. Our selfishness. Our often self-inflicted upheaval. Our personal slavery of the soul. And He rescues.

It may not feel that way or seem that way. Especially when life is beating you up. But God rescues. He does it powerfully. In a demonstration that declares he alone has the ability to do it. He does it sovereignly. With the dignity and veracity of the King of All.

He brings anyone who would come to him into himself. An inheritance. A part of the family.

Yeah, sign me up for that.

December 23 - The Free Gift

Romans 6:15-23

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 ESV)

Either by willful commission or apathetic omission each of us sin. We do the wrong things, or we choose not to do the right thing. But our sin is not the central message of the Bible.

If sin were the main theme of the Bible it would be a book primarily focused on morality. And while I do believe that the answers to all moral dilemmas are found within its pages, I don't believe it is because morality/sin are its chief issue. Jesus is the central focus of the Bible.

Every book points ahead to Christ. Every book of the Old Testament is a Spirit-inspired wrapping—just as every book of the New Testament is a joyful declaration of the Gospel of Jesus. Jesus is the Good News. Jesus is the hope of the world. Jesus is the central figure of human history, the main idea of the Bible, and the Free Gift of God.

September 28 - Peter & Jesus

Luke 22:55-62

And he went out and wept bitterly. (Luke 22:62 ESV)

Jesus told Peter that he would deny him three times and Peter refused to believe it. Jesus also told Judas that he was the betrayer and Judas knew it to be true. What was the incredible difference between these two followers of Christ? I believe that the most significant difference between Judas and Peter rests in their response to their sin against Jesus.

Judas hung himself before Jesus was even crucified. He knew his guilt. And he felt trapped by it. Peter wept at the realization that he had sinned so greatly by denying Christ. The difference in these two responses is incredible. It's a point I have written about often but I believe we cannot look at it too closely. Judas regretted his actions and killed himself. Peter showed genuine remorse, and sought forgiveness.

Peter betrayed Jesus. He knew that he had done it. He felt horrible. But he also recognized that there was a way back. No, not immediately, but he did take his sin to Jesus. Jesus reminded him that he knew about it before it had even happened. He forgave him.

Peter and Jesus had a unique relationship in terms of teacher and disciple. But all Christians share a similar experience with the two. In the connection between redeemer and redeemed we are all Peter, and we all need Jesus.

September 27 - Prophecy: Haters

Promise: Isa. 53:3Fulfillment: Matt. 27:39-44

He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (Isaiah 53:3 ESV)

In approximately 700 B.C. the prophet Isaiah declared that the Jewish Messiah would be hated and rejected. Jesus was hated and rejected. Numerous examples of his rejections pepper the Gospel accounts.

First he was rejected by the religious elite. Eventually even the common people turned on him as he was paraded in front of them as an apparently powerless failed liberator. He did not match their preconceived ideas for what the Messiah would and should be.

I am continually amazed by the uncanny accuracy of the Old Testament prophets concerning Jesus. Again and again they nailed it. This is a testimony to the power and work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

September 26 - Denying Jesus

Matthew 26:69-75 And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.” (Matthew 26:72 ESV)

Sometimes I stop and think about what Jesus must have felt concerning Peter and his other disciples. He knew what was going to happen to him. He knew how hey would all turn their backs on him when trouble began. Yet, still he chose them.

Have you ever denied Christ? Maybe not by what you said, but what about by what you did? Do you think Jesus knew you what you would do or say when he first chose you? I believe that he did.

The beauty of the finished work of grace that Jesus completed lies in the serene undeservedness of Christ's extended forgiveness. We do not deserve it. We could never deserve it. We will never deserve it. Our actions, attitudes, and ethics so often testify to our wretchedness. But Jesus loves us, chooses us, and saves us, even when he knows that at some point we have or will deny him.

Peter was perhaps his closest friend and denied him. Peter went on to do incredible things. We each have denied Jesus somehow sometime, but he chooses still to love us and use us to carry out his will in this life.

September 25 - If What I Said

John 18:19-24

Jesus answered him, “If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?” (John 18:23 ESV)

Words carry weight. People get pretty messed up about them. The guys interrogating Jesus were really touchy when it came to words. But it is really no surprise. He had outdone them at every turn. All they had left to fall back on was their blind pride and violence.

Jesus never said anything wrong, but sometimes I do. My mouth has got me in a lot of trouble over the years. I've made stupid promises. Said hurtful things. And let it have a free reign far too often.

There have been plenty of times that I have deserved to get popped in the mouth for something ridiculous that I said, but I never have. Jesus was beaten by thugs for saying something true that hurt the religious tightwads' feelings. Kind of makes you want to take a better look at what and how you say things.

September 23 - Are You?

John 18:12-18

The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” (John 18:17 ESV)

In every journey of faith there is a decision point. Truthfully there are many many times you will be faced with tough decisions. But some of those will be more difficult than others.

Jesus had been arrested and his disciples fled. Well, almost all of them. Peter and another disciple had followed Jesus into the compound of the Jewish High Priest. It was a dangerous place for them to be found.

While there Peter was identified as a follower of Jesus. Suddenly his anonymity was gone, and he was faced with a potentially mortal question. "Are you a disciple?" And Peter did the unthinkable, he denied Jesus.

You will probably find yourself in a similar place in this life. At some point down the road you will be on hostile territory, surrounded by people who don't understand you, and they will pointedly ask if you have any allegiance to Jesus. Sometimes this can be an overt kind of persecution that leads possible violence. Or, as is often the case in western cultures, it is the prelude to quiet disdain and snarky rejection.

How will you answer the question when you are asked? Will the weight of the circumstances influence your decision?

September 22 - Jesus, the Christ

Mark 14: 53-65

But he remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” (Mark 14:61 ESV)

Jesus was put on trial as a sham. Those in power had predetermined the trial's outcome. They had orchestrated false witnesses, with disagreeing testimonies. All of it was done under pretenses of maintaining Judaism. In reality, it was about squeezing Jesus out. The religious fat cats were afraid of the affect Jesus would have on their coffers.

But the seeds had been sown. Not all of those in power doubted Jesus' claims. Many of the common people had been undeniably touched by Jesus' miracles. The disciples and many others had come to see Jesus as the Christ. The Messiah the Old Testament writers promised would bring redemption to Jews and the rest of the world.

The high priest was a different matter all together. He had the most to lose because of Jesus. And using a tool straight out of the pit of Hell, a tactic used by Satan himself during the temptation in the wilderness, he attacked Jesus' identity.

Jesus answered boldly. He loudly declared the truth of his identity for all in attendance to hear. He gave them a chance to believe. Jesus, the Christ, gives all who would ask of him the chance to believe.

September 21 - Remorse & Regret

Matthew 27:1-10

And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself. (Matthew 27:5 ESV)

Judas Iscariot returned the money he had received for betraying Jesus. Then he went and hung himself. The chief priests rejected his plea for forgiveness because they refused to acknowledge that anything wrong had taken place. They then used the thirty pieces of silver to purchase a field called the field of blood.

Judas threw the money into the Temple out of disgust. He was disgusted with his own actions, but he was also probably disgusted with the responses of the religious leaders. He realized his erroneous ways

Judas was remorseful, he regretted his actions, that much is clear. However, he did not take his sin to the one place where it could be dealt with. He did not take his sin to Jesus. He did not repent. Instead he ended his own life.

Judas Iscariot's story is tragically sad. It is the story of a what can happen when we deal with our sin in the wrong way. Jesus does save us from sin. He died for that very thing. But we have to take it to him, we have to believe that he will do it, and we have to entrust our lives to him.

September 20 - What Is Your Judgement?

Matthew 26: 57-68

"What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.” (Matthew 26:66 ESV)

Jesus received an unfair judgement. Arrested in secret. Tried in the middle of the night. He faced a sham trial, with false witnesses, shady-power-hungry adjudicators, and a corrupted militant mob like police force. Jesus was judged guilty. He was declared deserving of death.

Ironic seems like such a pitifully inadequate word to describe the scenario. He was wrongly accused. Wrongly judged. Wrongly killed. All so that he might bring an opportunity for eternal life to the very men who were killing him.

"What is your judgement?" They asked. Well, thanks to Jesus all that have entered into salvation have entered into a judgement of life.

September 19 - With a Kiss

Luke 22:1-6, 47-53

but Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” (Luke 22:48 ESV)

A kiss is not typically thought of as the sign for rejection, betrayal, and pain. The Bible even reads in one passage that believers are to "greet one another with a kiss." So it makes it that much more interesting that Judas chose a kiss for his method to signal the mob.

Chances are pretty good that you have been rejected in your life. Perhaps you have suffered a horrible betrayal at the hands of someone very near and dear to you. Jesus can sympathize. In fact, he often warned his followers that such would be the case for those following him.

We all know that the sting of betrayal is bitter. It hurts a lot. With that being said, we should strive to take extra special care not to wound our friends and neighbors. When we greet them it should be with the kiss of friendship, not that of betrayal.

September 18 - Prophecy: Silver

Promise: Zechariah 11:12-13Fulfillment: Matthew 26:14-15

Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. (Matthew 26:14, 15 ESV)

Prophecy can be a tricky thing. Some people start to get really weird and strange when they talk about it. But the cool thing that Biblical prophecy does over and over again through both the Old and New Testament, is confirm that Jesus was exactly who he claimed to be.

Sometime around 500 B.C. the Old Testament prophet Zechariah foretold that the one who betrayed the Messiah would be paid thirty pieces of silver for handing him over to the authorities. Zechariah wrote about things that he could not have possibly understood or imagined without divine inspiration. It was more than an educated guess. It was foreknowledge granted by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus' disciple Judas was the guy who handled the money for the ministry. He mist have been in love with money in order to betray Jesus like he did. Thirty pieces of silver was the price he got for betraying Jesus. But Jesus paid far more than that for you and I.

If there is one thing that I can take away from this story beyond the confirmation that prophecy brings—it is that you and I have value to God. Yes, Jesus was betrayed for what seems like a paltry amount of money. But that isn't the point. The point is that through his cheap betrayal, he was willing to sacrifice something of an incalculable value for a people that he believed was worth it.

God thinks you were worth it. That's pretty cool. To Him you are far more important than some silver. You are even more important to Him than His own life.

September 17 - Prophecy: Betrayal

Promise: Psalm 41:9Fulfillment: Matthew 26:47-56

Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me. (Psalm 41:9 ESV)

And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed him. Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.” Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. (Matthew 26:49, 50 ESV)

Prophecy can be a tricky thing. Some people start to get really weird and strange when they talk about it. But the cool thing that Biblical prophecy does over and over again through both the Old and New Testament, is confirm that Jesus was exactly who he claimed to be.

1,000 years before Jesus was born in a manger the Jewish king David prophesied that Jesus would be betrayed by a friend. Judas became the embodiment of that prophecy. Mere hours after having sat at the table with him for what theologians call The Last Supper, Judas showed up with a mob in the Garden to arrest Christ.

Have you ever been betrayed? Have you ever had a good friend just completely let you down? Probably. Life is messy, relationships are messy, and bad things happen. People are imperfect.

Jesus was, and is, perfection personified and he was still betrayed. He still felt the horrible hurt associated with rejection and betrayal. It helps me to know that my savior can identify with my problems. He isn't some aloof out of touch spirit that is disconnected from present reality. He walked the earth. He lived breathed, laughed, cried, and hurt. He identifies with my pain. And he went through pain of his own to help me through.

September 16 - I Am He

John 18:1-11

When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. (John 18:6 ESV)

Armed men showed up with a secret team in the middle of the night to arrest Jesus. He had withdrawn to a secluded place he often visited for a time of private prayer and preparation with a chosen few of his followers. They came seeking him—knowing who he was, his reputation, and his power.

Jesus identified himself when the armed force asked for him. As he did they withdrew from him and fell before him on the ground. They were tripping all over themselves, taken aback by the power of his identity and his declaration. Why?

Because their reasons for approaching him were corrupt, whereas he was holy. Their power was founded on the broken rules of men, and his was seated in the foundations of heaven. Their identity existed based on the controlling fear of their office, while Jesus' identity echoed from across eternity as the Son of God.

The identity of the Son of God bears weight. So much so that his life, death, and resurrection irrevocably altered the destiny of the universe. It was enough to make a mob fall over themselves, it was enough to confound the religious hypocrites, and it is enough to forever change the direction of our lives.

September 15 - Pray

Luke 22:39-46

And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” (Luke 22:40 ESV)

There are books on prayer, sermons on prayer, and countless opinions on prayer. Jesus told his followers as he was going off to pray for strength for the difficulties to to come, that they should pray. If Jesus told his disciples to pray there was a good reason. One we can learn from.

Why would Jesus tell his followers to pray? He wanted them to ask God for the same kind of strength he was looking for. He wanted them to be ready. He wanted them to overcome the temptations just around the corner.

Temptation can be stifling. If you haven't positioned yourself for the battle it can be nearly impossible. Prayer is something we can do that sets us up for success. Why? It isn't magic. If you approach it as such your results may not be what you were hoping for. However, if you remember it as the relational interaction between Father and child that it actually is, then you will be encouraged, strengthened, and prepared to face down temptation.