mother’s request

Posted on December 8, 2005 by Dana

Growing up, I remember being in settings at school and church where my dad was in charge. I never expected special treatment. As a kid I knew that was the way it should be, so I’ve tried to treat my own children in a similar manner. My mom, on the other hand, saw no conflict in declaring her children the best. There is no greater advocate than a bold mother!

A long time ago, two sons and their mother talked about the One they believed to be the Messiah. James and John, like the other apostles, often dreamed about greatness. One day one of them must have verbalized the goal of holding a great place of honor when Jesus received His Kingdom.

“Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. ‘What is it you want?’ he asked. She said, ‘Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.’ ‘You don’t know what you are asking,’ Jesus said to them. ‘Can you drink from the cup I am going to drink?’ ‘We can,’ they answered. Jesus said to them, ‘You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.’”

How close to Jesus do we want to be? There was always jockeying for position among the apostles, but, early on, they did not understand what it would take to be close to the Master. Constantly, Jesus taught about true greatness. “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

I think I love Jesus more now than ever, but there is still a lot of self to give up. Am I willing to be last? Am I willing to be a slave? I wonder if I am willing to drink from His cup. Why is His cup a part of the plan? Those apostles who used to argue about greatness learned to walk in His steps. The Spirit led them to humility… and they all drank from His cup. These words of Paul expressed his great desire:

“I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain the resurrection from the dead.” Philippians 3:10-11

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hopeless

Posted on December 1, 2005 by Dana

Once I was so overcome with sin I had no hope. Worldly-wise counselors gave many suggestions for help, but nothing they knew could solve my problem. But just at the right time, while I was powerless, Jesus rescued me. Now, no matter how strong the enemy seems, I remember the One who is more powerful and take hope to overcome.

Once I was so sick I did not think I would survive. Some around me were even less hopeful than I was. But through a way I would not have chosen, God healed my body and gave me four incredible years. Now, no matter how bad I feel, I remember God’s power and promises and gain hope for tomorrow.

Once there was a little baby born to a mom who was serving time for wrongdoing. He didn’t really have a place to go, but a chaplain in the prison system who often helped mothers in such situations called a family who had volunteered to serve. Now this little boy is being raised by his mom who is free and following her Master. And though John fell a couple of weeks ago and broke his leg, he is a happy toddler whose future is anything but hopeless. (You should see him walk with his cast :) )

Last Sunday, in the Atlanta newspaper, there was a front page article about a man in his thirties who had gotten out of prison, gone to college, and completed a degree with great success. Though his crime was committed at age seventeen, his past still haunts him. Even though this bright fellow has done so much to overcome, no one will hire him. There was little hope in the article and a reader could understand how such a man could easily give up and go back to his old life. In the spiritual world, we know this is the devil’s desire for anyone who tries to walk a better path.

Susan and I understand a little about this guy’s dilemma. Terri has worked odd jobs for the year she has lived with us. She is very sharp and a hard worker. Her goal is to live by herself and raise her children. Two times she had well-paying jobs fall through because of the results of her background check. One employer did all she could to bypass the rules because Terri was such a good worker. But John’s mother has persevered. A couple of Wednesday nights ago, after humbly asking a group to pray for her, Terri received a phone call within the hour that gave her a job for the holiday season. Without faith, though, it is easy to think her situation is hopeless. But we believe one day someone will give Terri a chance that will lead to the type of job she needs to take care of her family. Until then, we remember that “suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

“Remember that one time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations… Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” Ephesians 2:12-22

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hope

Posted on November 17, 2005 by Dana

We sometimes get so caught up in this world we forget that this earth is not our home. Believers of old knew they were aliens in a land that was not their own. This is why a message of “hope” fills the pages of Scripture. Susan and I often attend a support group for people with multiple myeloma. It goes without saying that we all want there to be a cure for this deadly disease. I’m usually one of the youngest patients, but I have realized that, even if a cure is found tomorrow, all of us are eventually going to die. If a healthy person accuses me of being a pessimist, I should remind him that he won’t live on this earth forever either. Even for those diagnosed with a fatal disease, it is easy to be in denial about death.

If I can admit that one day I will die, or better yet, one day Jesus will return, my hope can be put in a much more secure place. This challenge is not just for me, but for anyone who believes in eternal life. If God’s Word is true, this life is just “a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” Our main existence is elsewhere. So where is your hope? If your mind is only on the things of this world, the Holy Spirit says, “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

It is interesting what Paul says leads to hope. I cannot explain all the reasons for suffering, but I can say that in the midst of a trial it is often easier to lift the eyes beyond this world. “And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us…” (Rom 5:2-5) I will eventually be disappointed with temporal hope. But if “my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness” I will not be disappointed, for my heart is set on what is eternal.

Next week, as we thank God for the incredible blessings He has showered upon us, may we look beyond the things we see with human eyes. May we see an incredible Father who has an amazing love for His children. May we see a loving Savior, seated next to the throne of God, waiting for the word to return for His Bride. May we see the Comforter who continually leads us in truth. And may we see a place prepared for all who have put their faith in Jesus. Even now we can give thanks for such a Kingdom and anticipate an indescribable Feast. “But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”

“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” Ephesians 1:18-19

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trust

Posted on November 10, 2005 by Dana

A friend sent me an encouraging note about the center of the Bible this week. Of course we know that the authors of the Old and New Testaments did not write chapters and verses, but it was interesting to discover that Psalm 118 has 594 chapters before it and 594 chapters after it. (I did not check the addition :) ) Psalm 118 fits between the shortest chapter in the Bible (Ps 117) and the longest chapter in the Bible (Ps 119). In the New King James Version, Psalm 118:8 says: “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.”

In II Kings 1 we find a king of Israel putting his confidence in someone worse than man. After sustaining an injury in a fall, King Ahaziah gave messengers this assignment: “Go and consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, to see if I will recover from this injury.” God gave his prophet, Elijah, an interesting question to send the king: “Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going off to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?”

Some people never pray because they don’t believe there is a God. This was not Ahaziah’s problem. Other people fail to pray because they are living in opposition to God. “Ahaziah son of Ahab became king of Israel in Samaria… He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, because he walked in the way of his father and mother… He served and worshiped Baal and provoked the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger, just as his father had done.” The reason Ahaziah inquired of another god was that he didn’t want to face the True and Living One.

Parents know there is usually something wrong if their child will not look them in the eye. Children with something to hide try to avoid being around their parents. I have the greatest joy going home to little John in the afternoons. He starts running and squealing with delight when he sees me. (Susan feels this way too… she has just learned to conceal it :) ) But I have already noticed something about this little boy who is not quite two years old. When he has done something he knows he shouldn’t have, he hangs his head and avoids my look. No one wants to get things right quicker than I do, but it takes a willing boy. Could God have forgiven a wayward king? Of course He could have! No one wanted things put right in Israel more than God, but there needed to be a willing king.

When I am walking with the Lord, I’ll want to ask Him first about everything. Why put my confidence in man if God is on my side? For those that trust Him, perhaps this is the most loved chapter in the Bible:

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23)

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obsessed

Posted on November 3, 2005 by Dana

I had a good report last week after completing one round of chemotherapy. The unwanted protein has already dropped from 3.3 to 2.5. Since good responses with this type of chemo are usually seen early, this is a good sign… making the negative aspects of the treatment much more bearable. I am enjoying an ‘off week’ before starting the second round Monday. Again I thank you for continued prayers.

On the way home from the doctor Thursday, I thought I would call Taylor who has been gone a little more than a month. When he did not answer and I got his voice mail a strange thing happened: I started crying. Now I guess I could blame such emotions on drugs, but I don’t think they had quite kicked in. Somewhere deep in the heart, I think a father misses his son. I was warned by friends who have watched sons and daughters leave home. When these grown men told me of tears they had shed, I would think to myself, “I don’t think I’ll do that.” But there I drove Thursday afternoon with tears streaming down my face thinking of the son I’ve not seen in a while.

I know of one father who lived out in the country. He missed his son so much he made it a daily habit to walk out on his porch to look down the long driveway in search of his son. If he stood long enough, tears would come to his eyes too. One day he saw a little dot on the horizon and wondered who it might be. As a young man got closer and closer to the house, the father thought he looked familiar. Could it be? As the father climbed off the porch and saw that, indeed, it was his son, he started running toward him. Without shame, he hugged his son and welcomed him home.

You probably recognize the story Jesus told about His Father. My friend Harry in Jerusalem tells me that in that culture today, as in the time of Christ, an older man would never run. In fact, it would be shameful for a father to hike up his robe and run up the road to welcome a child… prodigal or not. But is that not the point of the story? A Father loved us so much, He endured shame to welcome us home.

Christian author, Ted Dekker, has written a novel entitled OBSESSED in which a man goes to incredible lengths to gain a buried treasure. At the end of the book, he writes the familiar parable that Jesus told about such a guy. “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” (Matthew 13:44) With the obvious lesson that we should be obsessed with true treasure, Ted Dekker also shares that God is obsessed with us. Such obsession causes a father to constantly look for a lost child. Such obsession causes a Shepherd to leave ninety-nine sheep to go search for one. Such obsession even causes One to lay down His life for those He loves.

I heard about a group of Jewish rabbis who put their faith in Christ and quickly reached some unusual conclusions about the Jewish writings we call the New Testament. The parable of the hidden treasure had a very obvious meaning to them. We are the treasure. God found us and with great joy gave everything He possessed to purchase us. (Technically, they understood that the Jews were represented by the hidden treasure and the Gentiles were represented by the pearl of great price – the next parable Jesus told.) Can it be we are worth that much to God?

So if the perfect Father is obsessed to the point that He would give His most precious Son for His children, I guess it’s OK for a dad (or a mom) to shed an occasional tear for one of his own :)

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.” Luke 15:20

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