Tag: jesus

Revelation 3:14-22

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            God is trying to get our attention.  He does it through all kinds of ways – adverse circumstances, other people (particularly prophetic voices) – knocking on our door, crying out to let him in.  Yes, God is the one knocking on our door – not us.  “Listen!  I am standing and knocking at your door.  If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and we will eat together.”  This is anything but an aloof God who is unconcerned for what is going on in our lives.  In fact, just the opposite is true.  We seem a bit unconcerned, even “lukewarm” about God and don’t pay much attention to him.  It is God who is longing to be with us and is on the outside pounding on the door and calling out so that he can come into our homes and have fellowship with him around the table.  Will we invite him in?  Will we accept his offer?
 
            Jesus stands.  Jesus knocks.  Jesus calls.  Will we respond?  That is the watershed issue of our day.  Maybe we can’t hear him because we are busy vacuuming.  Maybe we don’t hear because of the headphones we have on.  Maybe we are just too deaf and dull to notice the racket going on at our front porch while we watch TV.  Whatever it is, the only cure for being lukewarm is inviting Jesus into the house. 
 
            If Jesus is on the outside, he wants to be on the inside.  He could break your door down if he wanted to, but he chooses to respond to the invitation for hospitality.  Jesus wants to meet with us.  When and where will you meet with him today?
 

 

            Gracious Lord Jesus, you are standing at the door.  My door is open for you.  Come in and let us fellowship together and enjoy one another.  I have ears to hear what you are saying to me, through the Spirit.  Amen.

Luke 22:31-33, 54-62

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            Peter denied Jesus three times.  It is an infamous story.  Jesus even predicted it would happen.  We might either relate with Peter, or think him a putz.  Whichever way we view him, there was a reason Peter ended up denying the Lord, even though he sincerely believed he would never do such a thing.  And therein belies the problem:  Whenever we are cocky and believe we are above falling into sin, we neither listen well nor trust well.  Pride goes before the fall.
 
            Our sins and failures stem ultimately from a lack of real faith and commitment in Jesus.  We think we can do it ourselves.  We got this.  Well, not so much.  We blew it again.  We keep trying to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps because we are just too anxious to follow Jesus.  To live life on Christ’s terms will mean a loss of autonomy and control.
 
            When Jesus was arrested the text says that Peter “followed at a distance.”  If we are honest, that too often describes our own mode of following.  We want to see how everything will shake-out before we commit.  But only until we let go of our own ideas and stubborn thinking will we discover what true discipleship is all about.  Only the grace of letting Jesus lead will bring us to the point of standing strong and not living in denial.
 

 

            Gracious Lord Jesus, I admit my pride and cockiness to think that I could follow you on my terms instead of yours.  In humility I come to you and confess my great need to follow you unconditionally.  Thank you for your forgiveness and your provision for my life.  Amen.

John 10:11-21

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            Jesus is the Good Shepherd.  I grew up on an Iowa farm.  Although we never had any sheep on our place, I had friends with sheep.  When I was a boy, I actually played a lot with the sheep.  I think sheep get a bum rap when it comes to smarts.  I’m not convinced sheep are near as dumb as people make them out to be.  I think the distinguishing character of sheep is that they very skittish.  They scare easily.  And when they become afraid they make really stupid decisions, like running at full speed head first into a brick barn wall and knocking themselves out.
 
            Jesus is the Good Shepherd.  When the sheep get scared, Jesus is committed to bringing them in and keeping them safe.  Hired hands are not near as devoted to the welfare of the sheep.  But Jesus is the Good Shepherd who owns the sheep and does whatever it takes to provide for them, protect them, and be present with them through leading them in green pastures and keeping wolves away from them.  Jesus gives his life for the sheep.
 
            We are such skittish frightened people.  Just look at your friends’ Facebook posts for today and see how many of them have some sort of fear at the core of it.  Go to church and observe how much discussion there is which is based in the fear and uncertainty of the future.  Notice how much your co-workers fret about their jobs and families.  Jesus is the Good Shepherd.  None of the stupid decisions we make out of fear freaks out our Lord because he gives his life for the sheep.  He will not abandon us.  And it is this most basic theology of the person of Christ that we all need in order to relax enough to make sound and wise decisions in our present circumstances.
 

 

            Jesus, you are the Good Shepherd.  I will follow you and will not run away out of fear because I know that you are caring for me every minute of the day, and watch over me every minute of the night.  Amen.

Luke 18:18-30

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            One way of looking at this Gospel story of the rich young ruler is that Jesus did an intervention.  The rich man was addicted to wealth and money, but he didn’t see it.  In fact, he thinks he is quite godly and spiritual.  After all, he’s an upstanding citizen, a religious man, and attentive to God’s law.  It’s a sad story because the man walks away un-transformed by his encounter with Jesus and refused to follow him.  He didn’t see himself as hopeless and desperately needing to change.  He held to his denial.
 
            We are all addicted to sin.  If you want to push back on that statement and are thinking, “Well, I don’t have as much money as _____” or, “So-and-so really has a problem with this…” then you are practicing what we call, in terms of addiction, denial.  Truth be told, all of us are in some sort of denial about how much we really trust in paychecks, bank accounts, investments, and a wealth of stuff.  Even people who truly do not have much money can have an addiction by always thinking about money and wishing for it as the answer to their problems, as if wealth is the highest good to attain in life.
 
            Jesus puts the problem of sin out there for us all to see by communicating to us that sin cannot be managed – sin needs to die.  The good news is that through sheer honesty and facing up to our own addiction to things we can find grace.  Grace always has the last word.  Grace trumps addiction to money, stuff, and anything else.  God’s love and acceptance is not based on our screw-ups, but on Christ’s forgiveness through the cross.  Jesus put sin to death.  We are simply invited to bring it out in the open, confess it, and follow Jesus.
 

 

            Gracious Lord Jesus, you invite me to follow you.  All I need do is to let go of everything and do it.  That is exactly what I choose to do.  My life is yours; do with it what you will.  Amen.