23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. Luke 9:23 – 24 ESV
King Jesus
Some Words of Assurance
Psalm 46
1 God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
3 though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble with its tumult.Selah
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved;
God will help it when the morning dawns.
6 The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.Selah
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord;
see what desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God!
I am exalted among the nations,
I am exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.Selah
The Forecast
Many today are forecasting a financial storm; a crash coming sometime in September of this year. Some are saying it will make way for a one world currency. Others predict it will be a segue for the Anti-Christ. Some are hopeful for a recovery while others are more in panic mode. No one seems to really be sure what to make of it. There are voices proclaiming that it is judgment on the US for a variety of sins, although the affects of the crisis seem to be global.
Jesus Says
In the midst of whatever is going to happen, King Jesus says,
31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:31 – 33
These are some much needed words of assurance in this hour. Our security is not found in stockpiling food or arming ourselves to “defend what it ours.” It’s not in pulling all our money out of the bank and hiding it in the backyard or making this or that investment. While none of these things are wrong in and of themselves (although people arming themselves might fall in that category), at the end of the day our true security comes from living in the Reign.
M
The Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
No King But Caesar
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The tension in the air was so thick you could almost cut it with a knife. Even though there was a chill in the air, Pilate was sweating. He would be very glad when he could get this over with and wash his hands of this accursed mess.
The young man who stood near Pilate, with his flesh in ribbons and a crown of thorns pressing into his head, had been brought by the Chief Priests of the Jewish people. They wanted Pilate to crucify him. To that end they had laid out charges that Pilate was fairly certain were not true. In fact, Pilate couldn’t find any real reason to put this young man to death. Although he found this Jesus from Nazareth a bit odd, he certainly didn’t find him to be any sort of threat to Rome or the Jewish people either one. He was also fairly certain the the religious leaders were jealous of him. Because Judea was subservient to Rome, the Jews couldn’t simply put jesus to death themselves, so they wanted Pilate to do their dirty work for them.
There were also things about this case that Pilate found troubling, even frightening. His own wife had sent him a message saying he should not have anything to do with this man. She had apparently had troubling dreams about him. Then there was something the Jews had said that sent a cold chill down Pilate’s spine,
“We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.”
When Pilate heard this statement it caused him to quake to the very core of his being. He quickly rushed Jesus back into his headquarters to try and find out more information from him. Who was he really? Where was he from? The answer Jesus gave only caused Pilate to be more confused and frustrated.
He then brought Jesus back out to where the Jews were waiting. He took a moment to look over the crowd and then said to them, “Behold your king!” This brought a violent reaction from the crowd as they began to shout, “Crucify! Crucify him!” Pilate then asked, “Shall I crucify your king?” The response of the chief priests caused Pilate to capitulate to their demands. The religious leaders looked steadily at Pilate and said,
“We have no king but Caesar.”
The Answer to Our Chaos
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Chaos dominates our world. Everywhere we look there is turmoil. One nation oppresses another. Economies rise and fall like the waves of the sea. The weather seems completely out of control. Governments are deadlocked over policies. One generation cannot see eye-to-eye with another. Families split apart. Children are pulled back and fort between parents, causing them to live in a state of complete confusion. Church leaders crash and burn on almost a weekly basis. Instability seems to abound on every level of life. Where does all this chaos come from?
Concerning the Return of the King part 1
There are all kinds of voices talking today about the return of our King, Jesus Christ. Some say He will come prior to the Great Tribulation, others say He will come in the middle of it, while others declare He will return at the end of it. Then there are the pre-millennialists, the post-millennialists, and the a-millennialists. Some point to this one as being the anti-christ, others point to someone else. And the trouble is, they can all argue their point quite convincingly! So in this post, I want us to quietly consider the first of three important things concerning the return of the King.
Washing Feet
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A Time of Ministry
Recently my wife and I had the opportunity to share the things of God with a group of folks in another community. I shared the Word of God and then prayed with several people. It was amazing to see how the Lord moved in the people’s live. We had a great time of ministry.
A New Insight
The next morning as I got quiet before the Lord, He asked me a question that opened a whole new line of thinking for me.
“Did you enjoy washing feet last night?”
Words cannot describe how this question impacted me. As His question (and a few other things He said) penetrated my consciousness, I saw something I don’t believe I had ever seen before.
All ministry is about washing feet.
Whenever we minister to another, whether by the Word or by the Spirit, they are being cleansed from the defiling dust of wrong attitudes, wrong beliefs, judgments, rejections, fears, sins, illnesses, etc. that are picked up from walking in this fallen world. When our heart is to serve through love, the King can do amazing things through even the simplest act of kindness. He can cause cleansing and healing to take place on levels we know nothing about. Interesting, huh?
The Example
In the culture of Christ’s day, foot washing was the lowliest task performed by a slave. The King set the example of loving service by washing the feet of His disciples and instructing them to do the same for one another (see John 13:1 – 17). Some groups have take this literally and hold actual foot washing services. That’s fine. For me, this insight from the Lord put a whole new twist on things. I don’t think I will ever look at ministry the same way again. Serving the King by washing the feet of others, however we do it, is another facet of living in the Reign.
M
Any Donkey Will Do
I’m sure we are all familiar with the story of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. You can read the full story in Matthew 21:1 – 11. A closer examination of this story can bring a lot of hope to those of us who desire to be of service to the King.
