I saw Jesus

Posted on March 7, 2002 by Dana

Some friends often go sing at a nursing home. A few days ago, I got to join them and I’m positive I saw Jesus – I’m just not sure where.

Was He in the old lady slumped in her wheelchair or was He in the aging man by her side, caring for his mother with gentle kindness? Was He in the man with no legs who asked that we sing “Sweet Hour of Prayer” or was He in the teenage boy who tenderly led the song? Was He in the four children from the same family who spread joy to the elderly or was He in their parents who have made it a practice to show compassion to those who are often forgotten? Was He in the bed-confined gentleman near the end of his life or was He in the nurse who was trying to make his final days more comfortable?

Jesus said we serve Him when we serve the least of His brethren. It is not hard to imagine the joy the Lord receives when we serve others. If someone goes to visit my elderly grandmother, I am so grateful. If someone is kind to my parents, I want to return the kindness. And if someone goes out of his way to help my children, he’ll be a friend forever. When we serve any person, we are serving one that God loves more than we can imagine. It brings God joy when we love someone He loves. And when I see my great weakness in loving others, Jesus reminds me that as I live in Him, He lives in me – and He is love.

“I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40)

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you.” (John 15:4)

“God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.” (I John 4:16)

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forfeit

Posted on February 28, 2002 by Dana

This past Christmas was my second trip to Africa. Before moving to Capetown, my brother, Brian, was a missionary in Benin. A little over three years ago, my son, Taylor, and I visited this country in West Africa.

In Benin, there is much pagan worship. Voodoo is practiced openly and sacrifices are made to ancestral spirits. When one becomes a Christian, he turns his back on the false gods of his land. Disciples of Jesus understand they cannot worship idols and make sacrifices to demons while following the one true God. Though they often face persecution and hardship for choosing Jesus, they know true life is forfeited if they go back to the old ways. In the belly of the big fish, Jonah stated truth that holds today: “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.” (Jonah 2:8)

Upon our return to this land, I saw clearly with spiritual eyes the things I had seen with physical eyes in West Africa. The same forces at work in Benin, that cause men and women to bow to a crude idol, are at work in the western culture. It is a frightening thought, but in some ways I think the people in Benin have an advantage. There the idols are seen. Here they are not recognized. When a person chooses the Lord there, it is clear he is rejecting the other gods of the land. A person who hears a call to follow the Lord here may not hear a call to count the cost.

Jesus spoke plainly about these matters when He walked the earth. He knows idolatry does not just involve graven images. He also knows what will be forfeited if man does not boldly choose to follow Him.

“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?” (Matthew 16:24-26)

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warnings

Posted on February 21, 2002 by Dana

Recent news reports state that officials may have failed to heed warnings of potential terrorist strikes prior to September 11. Since that date, many cautions have been given, but as time passes it seems warnings lose their impact.

I don’t know that we like warnings too much, but that does not stop God from giving them. The very people who miraculously crossed the Red Sea on dry land grumbled when they got thirsty. The Israelites who received water from a rock and bread from heaven tested God by complaining. The men and women who were most knowledgeable of God’s holiness committed open sexual sin. And the people who witnessed the judgment of all the false gods of Egypt erected a golden calf to worship. Why are these failures and their tragic consequences recorded so frequently in Scripture? (see I Corinthians 10:1-10)

“These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” (I Corinthians 10:11-12)

Though His spokesmen may be ignored or scorned, God has never ceased sending warnings. He shouts as a loving father who sees his children in danger. God wants everyone that walks the earth today to know He has never changed. Yet people who have been given incredible blessings still grumble and complain. People who know of God’s holiness still surrender to the lusts of the flesh. And people who have been bought with the blood of a perfect Son still put other things ahead of the one true God. These are the sins that have trapped man in every generation, but the Lord wants us to know we don’t have to fall.

The One who sends the warnings also sends a promise. We will never be tempted beyond what we can handle. Though temptations will come, the Father always provides a way of escape for His children. He wants us to keep standing.

“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” (I Corinthians 10:13)

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Good Hope

Posted on February 14, 2002 by Dana

Susan gave me a framed photograph and a card on Valentine’s Day. The picture is of a white-haired man with hands in his pockets standing on a huge rock looking out into the ocean. It looks as if he is expecting to find something he has been searching for.

I wasn’t aware someone took my picture, but I know where it was taken. I was standing at the Cape of Good Hope on the southern tip of Africa.

The card contained a hand-written Scripture reference and word of encouragement that brought tears to my eyes. “Exodus 33:21 – May you always stand on the rock!” Where else is there to stand? I’ve lived long enough to know that everything else this world has to offer is shifting sand. There is only one true Rock and if we stand there we can look into the distance with joyful expectation.

The Scripture reference comes from the life of Moses. For quite some time this servant of the Lord had experienced the provision and power of an almighty God. He had witnessed the plagues, he had walked through the Red Sea on dry land, he had received bread from Heaven and water from a rock. But Moses was looking for more. Perhaps the longer we walk with God the more we will desire Him. The mature pilgrims learn to pray as Moses did: “Teach me your ways so I may know you.” Perhaps one day we’ll come to the place Paul reached – realizing there was only one thing that mattered. “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” (see Philippians 3:7-16)

“Show me your glory,” Moses prayed. What does the Father do with such a prayer? Did Moses not know he would die if he looked into the face of God? This is where Exodus 33:21 is found. These instructions played out in the physical for Moses, but they hold no less meaning for us. “And the Lord said, ‘There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock.’”

Our Rock provided the water for Moses in the desert. Our Rock is the Living Bread from Heaven. In our Rock there is Good Hope.

“They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.” I Corinthians 10:3-4

“I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.” John 6:51

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beauty

Posted on February 7, 2002 by Dana

The mountains surrounding Capetown, South Africa look barren from a distance. But climbing one on New Year’s Day revealed some hidden wonders of God’s creation. Plants grow on these mountains that are not found anywhere else in the world. At one place my brother pointed out a beautiful orange flower. “That bloom can only come out after a fire,” he informed me. We could see that, indeed, a fire had recently swept through the area. But there grew one of the brightest and prettiest flowers I have ever seen.

I know a beautiful family. Joe, Sybil, Ben, Matt, Pete, and Mary McReynolds have unselfishly served our family for a number of years. They have not just served me. It is rare to visit their home without meeting a person they are helping. I have often witnessed a beauty that can only come from the Father above. I am also aware of many fires that have swept through their lives.

Last week, Sybil learned that she has breast cancer – a type that is quite aggressive. As I sat in worship Sunday and watched tears stream down the faces of friends and family members, I wondered about the upcoming struggle. God hears our cries and understands our pain, but I don’t know what lies ahead. We know he is not surprised by the things that surprise us, but our human minds struggle to understand. I am praying and I ask you to pray that God will heal Sybil, but I have no clear word about our hurting bodies.

I will predict one thing: As this fire rages, rare beauty will start to appear. Refined and purified faith will rise in a family that already models faith to many. Honest, passionate prayers from thousands of people will be lifted to a Father of mercy and compassion. The wonderful love of God in the Body of Christ will surround and serve the wounded and hurting. And the Lord, Himself, will be a Refuge in the midst of the storm.

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” II Corinthians 4:16-18

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