Daily devotions for the month of June. The theme for this month is the names we use and call our Lord Jesus.
June is Jesus month, “What shall we call Him?” Day 1
Acts 4:29-30
And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus. (ESV)
……………………………………..
Jesus baffles me. How can Jesus the only begotten of the Father, Jesus the Name above all Names, Jesus the First and the Last, Jesus Messiah to the Jews, Savior of the world, the Great and awesome Judge, Jesus the Rock, Jesus the Door, can be a servant. God a servant. A God who lowers Himself to wash feet. I echo the words of Peter, “Are you going to wash my feet?” To comprehend the Almighty God as a servant is tough for me. It is easier to put Him on a pedestal, high and lofty. It is much simpler to separate myself from His majesty and power. I can rebel, reject, ignore, even run away from a powerful force. But I cannot do any of these things if he wants to serve, provide, comfort, heal, and protect. Jesus, my holy servant; baffling!
How do you respond to someone who wants to serve you?
How do you serve someone who is serving you?
Jesus the servant.
June is Jesus month, “What shall we call Him?” Day 2
Hebrews 12:2
Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, The pioneer and perfector of faith, (NASB)
………………………………………..
Life is but a game, a race. It has rules, it has an objective, there are winners and losers. Not everybody gets a prize. Jesus is the referee in this game of life. He admits the contenders, He holds the starting gun, He watches each of the runners in their efforts. He gives the prize to all that finish. Jesus is the officer overseeing the race. I run with all due diligence. I run to a point of exhaustion. I want to give up as the course seems impossible. But it can be completed! Why? Because Jesus has run the same course. It was pioneered by Jesus. It is completed by Jesus. It is perfected by Jesus. He is the first finisher. He offers a warm embrace and a prize of glory at the end. It can be done because He did it first.
Have you ever become so tired that you simply wanted to give up?
Have you ever thought the race is simply not worth the effort?
Jesus is the First Finisher!
June is Jesus month, “What shall we call Him?” Day 3
Matthew 16:16-19
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in Heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
…………………………………………………
Jesus inspired a gathering of like-minded people, not an organization. Church is not a corporation or a business. The church is a body of believers. Jesus is the designer and builder of a gathering of like-minded. He inspired a movement, a collection, a gathering, a family, a congregation, an assembly. Most associate the builder to the most obvious result. We move into a house and marvel at the skill and methodology of the architect, the carpenter, the finisher. The house was the concept, the idea, the perfect picture of a special place. The builder built it with a perfect purpose in mind. He built it. Yet, after a period, we begin to put our own touches. We think we could do better. We paint the walls; we change from the perfection of the builder to suit ourselves. Jesus will build his body of believers. It simply is not my job.
Have you ever been dissatisfied with the progress of your Church?
Have you ever thought you could do it better?
He is the builder!
June is Jesus month, “What shall we call Him?” Day 4
Psalm 118:17-21
I will not die but live, I will proclaim what the Lord has done. The Lord has chastened me severely; but he has not given me over to death. Open for me the gates of the righteous; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter. I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become by salvation. (NASB)
………………………………………………..
I am at the far, far edge of my beginning. I sit in the warmth of the sunshine and rest my eyes and nod off. But there is so much to do. My list of projects does not shrink. I must keep on keeping on. I will not call it quits. I must live because I have a task greater than fixing a sprinkler on the front lawn or washing the car. I must live because I have a greater assignment. That assignment is to proclaim the wonderous mercies and unfathomable grace. I deserve to be chastened of my self-perceived sloth. There stands before me a gate. Each day it gets a little closer. Each day in my sunshine, I smile. Each day I set at my desk and read of all the great things God has done for me, and I am deeply moved. Lord, you have answered me. You are my salvation. You are the gate which those who call you Lord must pass.
Have you ever thought of just giving up?
Have you ever felt the lack of worth because you are not doing enough?
He is the Gate!
June is Jesus month, “What shall we call Him?” Day 5
Psalm 118:22-26 The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad. Lord, save us! Lord, grant us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you.
………………………………………………
Popularity is not the measure of worth. Any examination of social media will reveal a silent cry of those who would be popular. Most determine their worth by the number of likes or comments to some wit or witticism garnered from someone else. Posts are re-posted, and re-posted; all be noticed and accepted. Each is a whimper of the un-noticed pleading “Look at me”.
I do what I do not to give me worth, but to bless the name of the Lord. It does not matter if any of these words are read or even followed. You may reject me: that is what I deserve. These words are a way to rejoice. I write to be glad. I write these words to give honor and praise to a rejected stone made primary. I write to count myself among the rejected because Jesus is the cornerstone. Only Jesus can be the basis of my life, my work, my musings, my life.
Where is your cornerstone of life?
What do you do to give honor and praise to the foundation of the world?
He is the cornerstone!
June is Jesus month, “What shall we call Him?” Day 6
Philippians 2:5-8 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross.
Yes, June is Jesus month. It is also been touted as Pride month. Pride of being gay, pride of being lesbian, pride of being bisexual, polysexual pride, omnisexual pride and twenty-five other pride themes. When did one of the seven deadly sins become something to be celebrated? I am not talking about the second on the deadly list dealing with sexual sin, but of pride itself. When did shouting from the highest point in town your accomplishments and self-satisfaction about an achievement, become something to be encouraged? Boasting is an attitude based upon an event or state that proves their superiority to themselves. It is recounting accomplishments so others will feel admiration or envy. Pride is nothing more than the permission to brag. Pride is saying to the world, “Look at me, I am special”. Pride is the specific feeling through which egoism manifests. It is the excessively high self-opinion of self, even though it is always pointed outward.
What shall we call Him? “Jesus is humble.”
June is Jesus month, “What shall we call Him?” Day 7
John 1:3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
From the first electron circling around a single proton, to UY Scuti a hypergiant star with a diameter that is around 1,700 times larger than the sun, all were made through him. Creator of the smallest and the largest. Creator of every piece and all pieces. Creator of individual and the total. My creaky knees are made up of the very stuff Jesus made an eternity ago. I may mould, construct, re-vamp, sort, refine, invent, combine, stir, cook, and even try to destroy. Yet they are all actions based upon the “all things were made”.
What is boggles my mind is that everything in heaven and earth, the visible and the invisible, were created for Jesus and by Jesus and Jesus holds them all together. Colossians 1:19-17.
You are a creation of God, do you believe it?
So what shall we call Him? Creator.
June is Jesus month, “What shall we call Him?” Day 8
John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the on and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
What makes Christianity different? If pressed I would have to say “And the Word became flesh”. It is the great differentiator. No other religion can claim that the word they received from God became flesh.
Every other religion has its associated written “holy” message. All their “words” are artifacts of knowledge. Only in Christianity does God appear in human form; the Word become flesh. There are so many faith-based written philosophies associated with their religion. There may be similarities in the teaching. “All paths lead to the same God”, is said by many. The Sermon the Mount; Muslims have something similar in the Qur’an. Turning the other cheek? Hindus would reply: “Our sacred books tell us the same.” Caring and sensitivity to the needs of others? Buddhists would respond: “We believe in that too, perhaps even more than you.” But when it comes to the grand difference it is the incarnation. God in the flesh. God’s perfect will and intent in a body.
So, what shall we call Him? “Word became Flesh”
June is Jesus month, “What shall we call Him?” Day 9
John 10:11-13 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
Since the first days in Sunday School the teaching included the Psalm starting with “The Lord is my shepherd”. Millions of sermons have been preached on the “Good Shepherd.” They all speak of the acts of God toward his people. How God protects in the valley of death and so on. But I really want to know is the why. Why does his rod and his staff comfort me? Why would he lay down his life for the sheep? Why does this eternal, all knowing, ever present, all powerful and perfect God care so much?
Finding the earth amidst all these stars and one person among the billions, would be like finding one particular grain of sand in a sand pile the size of the United States piled 25 feet deep! Yet God does find us and God does care precisely because that is His very nature. The essence of God’s greatness is love. Love from the greatest to the smallest is greater than a love between equals. God caring about us little humans, to the point of becoming one of us and dying for us, even though we didn’t deserve it, must be seen as the greatest love story ever told. Calvary reveals the greatest, most beautiful, most loving conception of God humans have ever dreamed of.
So what shall we call Him? “He is the Loving Shepherd”
June is Jesus month, “What shall we call Him?” Day 10
John 6:39-35
They asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.” Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
Signs and repetition were the call of the day. The crowd was clamoring for miracles and those miracles must be like our ancestors had. The past miracles of bread in the wilderness were seen as something Moses did. They saw the daily bread as a sign of Moses. They had given the credit of sustenance and care of the people to Moses. When a neighbor does a good deed or when someone gives you their place in line or when in traffic some merciful person lets you in, each may well be a miracle and thanks are in order. Never-the-less, ultimately the action is inspired by and provided by God. Bread in the wilderness, bread for our day to day lives, Bread of Life.
We are spiritual beings in a human existence. Do you look for God in the small miracles?
God cares and intercedes for his children. Are you looking for the provision?
He is the bread of life!
Philippians 2:5-8 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bondservant and being born in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross.
Yes, June is Jesus month. It has also been touted as Pride month. Not pride in our country, or our pride of our family, or even pride in some great accomplishment. This month is about sexual pride. Gay pride, lesbian pride, bisexual pride, polysexual pride, omnisexual pride, and twenty-five other sexual pride themes and not one of them includes marriage between a man and woman. When did one of the seven deadly sins become something to be celebrated? I am not talking about the second on the list dealing with sexual sin, but of pride itself. When did proclaiming something you claim not to be able to control become an achievement. When did it become something to be encouraged? Boasting is an attitude based upon an event or state that demonstrates their superiority. It is recounting accomplishments so others will feel admiration or envy. Pride is nothing more than the permission to brag. Pride is saying to the world, “Look at me, I am special”. Pride is the specific feeling through which egoism manifests. It is the excessively high self-opinion of self, even though it is always pointed outward.
What shall we call Him? “Jesus is humble.”
June is Jesus month, “What shall we call Him?” Day 10
John 4:46-50 Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death. “Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.” The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” “Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.”
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
My greatest fear is being inadequate. Not being able to handle with purpose and strength anything that comes into my life. When my doctor informed me of my failing liver, my questions mimicked my mental state. “Are you sure?” and “How can I fix this?: and “Can you fix this?” The doctor in response was “yes” to the first and “can’t” to the second and to the last, “we will monitor it”.
I have tried to negotiate with God. I have stated my resolve to do better to that same God. I have asked and prayed for healing. But each time I see the Doctor there is no change. In my innermost, I scream and experience feelings of doubt. I worry that when I get to heaven that God will say, “I was disappointed in you”, or ‘it was lesson I wanted to teach you’, or worst of all “ You have failed Me.” So my greatest fear has been realized. Inadequacy: I can’t handle it.
But I carry on doing what I can and expecting miracles. It will not stop me. Like the singer Nightbird once said “You can’t wait until everything is alright to be happy.”
What shall we call Him? “Jesus the healer.”
June is Jesus month, “What shall we call Him?” Day 11
Matthew 28: 18,19,20 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
My path has been far in traveling. I have not come to its end. I would have liked to have traveled further, to see all the mercies God has in store for me down the road. My steps are sometimes belabored. My burden causes my back to scream in pain. I trod my road set before me and am winded. “God, why can’t this be easier?”
What I have discovered along my path is that God seldom takes things away. Instead, God is in the adding. He is more a giver than a taker. When I run along my path in darkness, he does not take away the clouds but increases the sun. When my path seems terribly dry and my lips are parched, he does not heal the thirst but brings gifts of water. When my path is lonely to a point of panic, He does not take away the terrible foreboding isolation, He simply comes near Himself. He adds. When I stop on and take a rest because of pain in my old joints, He does not take away the pain, but adds joy to the steps I can make. He adds.
What shall we call Him? Jesus the mathematician.
June is Jesus month, “What shall we call Him?” Day 12
John 15:1-4 I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I am not a human living and experiencing a spiritual life. Rather I am a spiritual being living through a human experience. My spirituality is not something that I muster up to meet a mandate of conformance to some heavenly law. What I am is more than what I do. I am a spiritual being made by God in His image, designed to live in a spiritual world. My identity was created by God for a specific purpose with a specific plan to be worked out in a sacred place, utilizing a specific process to result in a specific and perfect product.
All these parts were specifically designed and created just for me. Please, don’t copy me, don’t imitate me. For that matter do not copy or imitate any other human life. Humanity is and has always been flawed. My identity, purpose, plan, place, process and product are mine. They will not fit you. You will fail if you try. I am unique because I cling to the vine and bear His fruit.
What shall we call Him? Jesus the true vine.
June is Jesus month, “What shall we call Him?” Day 13
John 14: 1-7 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
On a self behind me and in filed just above eye level is a book that haunts me, “Fifty Places to Fly Fish Before You Die.” Each place chapter includes stunning photography of grand beauty, and always includes a fly fisherman living the dream. Once and awhile, I take it down and read of the grandeur of each place. I fantasize for a moment or two. I envision the availability of hungry fish almost begging me to cast a piece of feather and fur in their area. I try to embed that imagined opportunity of each pristine experience into my mind. Why does it haunt me? Fifty places are just too much. Each page has a drag on my soul, knowing “It can’t be done.” I know at this place of my earthly life, attainment of all 50 places is impossible. It is promise without hope.
For some, heaven is much like my fishing book. All the visions, wishing, are accompanied with feelings of unattainability and it silently haunts them. They want to go but the price is too high. For me, heaven is a place that is more wonderful, more sweet than any stream in Alaska. My Jesus has promised me. He gives me the opportunity. He provides the path. So just below my shelf with all my fishing books, at my eye level is a better book. A book that brings hope and promise.
What shall we call Him? Jesus the guide.
June is Jesus month, “What shall we call Him?” Day 14
John 15:16 You did not choose me, bit I chose you and appointed you that you might go and bear fruit – fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I grew up in the 1950’s in a little town pushed up against the Pacific Ocean. Occasionally in the summer as the fog began to lift, I would walk the mile or so down to the beach. Across the dunes I would go. My shoes would fill with sand. I threw stones into the ocean surges. An occasional starfish would wash up and I would throw it back in. I would walk the beach looking for sand dollars and castaway junk thinking I would find something of great value. Sometimes I simply did nothing but stare at the constant breaking waves. Time seemed to stop and yet pass by quickly. At the end of my walks was the realization I had to get back home. The urge of return was complicated because of two paths.
One path was a retracing of my steps back to home and probably chores. The other was to go over the dunes, along the school yard and cross a four-lane highway and show up at my fathers’ workplace. He was a mechanic at a small local shop. “Hi dad, I walked over to see how you are doing.” With a smile he pulled out a slightly greasy wheeled stool, sat me down and gave me a soda. “How was the hike?”, he would ask. And I would respond with my usual, “good”. He acted like he expected me. Not an overly emotional man, but I could tell he was glad I was there.
I am expected in another place someday. And my heavenly father is expecting me. He may not have a greasy stool and a coke, and He may well ask me, “How was your hike?”. There will be a smile on his face because will be glad to see me.
What shall we call Him. Jesus our expectant and emotional greeter.
June is Jesus month, “What shall we call Him?” Day 15
Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I am flawed. I am but an image in a cracked mirror. There are times that image becomes even more blurred with my own neglect and willfulness. Yet I am a work of God’s hand. I am a work of artistic beauty signed at the bottom by Jesus. I may not be complete, there are places that need to be painted over. In fact, it was completely white washed and signed and is in constant revision. God is not done with me. Each brush stroke is made with love and mixed with his own self. The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Church in Ephesus said, “We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do”.
I am created with God’s own brush.
What shall we call Him? Jesus the artist.
June is Jesus month, “What shall we call Him?” Day 16
I Corinthians 13:12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
It was the first day a school. New clothes and new shoes declaring it was the most important day in the life of a first grader. On the bus home the shoes were a little scuffed and there was some dirt on the bottoms of the new Levi pants, but grand adventure that was school, was done. Mom met the triumphant return of her child with a big hug, a peanut butter sandwich made with extra grape jelly, and a cold glass of milk, and a question, “Well did you learn anything at school?”
Out of the mouth now accented with a lip covered with milk, the response was, “I guess I didn’t learn enough”
“Why do you say that my little sweet pea?”
“Well ,mom it is like this, I have to go back tomorrow.”
I will always go back tomorrow, I will always have to learn, I must always live in revelation. Until that day when he will be fully known.
What shall we call him? The constant teacher.
June is Jesus month, “What shall we call Him?” Day 17
Isaiah 66:12 For thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream; and you shall nurse, you shall be carried upon her hip, and bounced upon her knees.
A river flows quickly from its source. Rushing down from high cliffs carving its path as it goes. There is an assumed purpose to it. Pulled ever downward to the ever slowing lowlands. The river moves ever slower and slower to its ultimate end as it joins the ocean and is lost in its vastness.
My life has had its fast times, filled with purpose and decisions. Now as my flow slowly descends from the high mountain it deteriorates and my days of rashness and physicality slowly move to my end in the totality of God, I must transition from the physical purpose to a more spiritual one. Now is the time for slow recollections and attempts to understand the life I have lived.
I guess Isaac Newton said it well, and I paraphrase. “My worldly usefulness is the last idol I am willing to part with—but the Lord will enable me to give even this up.”
What shall we call him? Jesus the peacemaker!
June is Jesus month, “What shall we call Him?” Day 18
Psalm 143: 7,8 Answer me quickly, O LORD; my spirit fails. Do not hide Your face from me, or I will be like those who descend to the Pit. Let me hear Your loving devotion in the morning, for I have put my trust in You. Teach me the way I should walk, for to You I lift up my soul.
One of the greatest challenges and joys comes in teaching face to face the revelations of God to men of God.. In a path of discovery for myself, the Bible opens itself and God speaks. Hurriedly, I jot a note or two down to share. With those notes there is a building process that expands. This expansion more often than not, becomes more than can be used in a single session. Never-the-less, the best part is the teaching. An idea so ingrained in my heart it seems to simply flow out. Week after week this cadre of learners soak it in. There were times where, as a body, we found true understanding of scripture. There were occasions where I have been met with blank stares and quizzical looks. The greatest moments are when lives were changed with slight veers in their individual paths. Teaching is a privilege, a blessing, and a calling. I am taught. I am an echo. I am blessed.
What shall we call him? Jesus the teacher!
June is Jesus month, “What shall we call Him?” Day 19
Matthew 3:16,17 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I was once asked, “how many Bibles do you have”. I went on a quest to answer the question. The count ended up at twelve. Why so many? I just like the feel of paper and ink in my hand when I read. There are thousands of sources of these same word on the internet, but it is just not the same. I guess I am simply old school. They all say the same thing, Jesus. This amazing book tells me all I really need to know about Jesus. All the Old Testament truths converge on Him, and all the New Testament truths emerge from Him. He is the hub of the Bible. The Father was well pleased, and in this reveling of the Son of God to me in the Bible, I too am well pleased.
What shall we call Him? Jesus the pleaser of my soul.
June is Jesus month, “What shall we call Him?” Day 20
Matthew9:15 Jesus answered, ‘How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
There is an account of Arthur Burns the chairman of the Federal Reserve Board during the 1970’s. Burns a man of Jewish faith attend the weekly Bible study in the White House. Each attendee was assigned the concluding prayer. He prayed after the study with the words, “O God, may the day come when all Jews will come to know Jesus.” A radical prayer for this man of faith. But he continued on in his prayer, “And Father may a day come when all Christians will come to know Jesus.”
Do you know Him? Does he make a difference in your life? Are you different because of Him?
What shall we call Him? Jesus the bridegroom.
June is Jesus month, “What shall we call Him?” Day 21
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
As a Boy Scout our Scout Master was an Army Drill-Sargent from Fort Ord. He fitted our whole troop of boys with surplus military packs, pup tents, and even auxiliary boot covers called spats. We marched in cadence like his squad back on base. Our hikes became a march. We even marched in the Memorial day parade with his Army command.
One of the commands that could be given is “Mark Time, March”. It means to march in time without moving forward. It was a command to stop progress but remaining diligent for the next command. Current vocabulary has changed it to “doing nothing, or wasting time or no progress and doing nothing important.”
Now when I hear the wait as it is commanded in the Bible, I realized it is to start something, it is stop my forward momentum simply rejoice. Progress sometimes limits our joy. Let my heart rejoice in trust in the God who calls us to wait. Perhaps joy comes from seeing God’s progress in me and that takes a moment of reflection.
What shall we call Him? Jesus the hope of our joy.
June is Jesus month, “What shall we call Him?” Day 22
Matthew 14:18-20 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I have fished in the rarified air of the Great Rocky Mountains where the water was so clear, the rocks in a ten-foot pool of this pure water almost looked dry. I have dragged great weights of lead along the bottom of the ocean with hunks of dead fish bait. I have pulled long lines of flashing lures at speeds of only two miles an hour all day while basking in the joy of it all. I have fished in water so cold there was ice along the edges impeding my progress. I have fished for halibut, salmon, trout, bass, blue gill, sea bass, largemouth bass, striped bass, steelhead, brook trout, bull trout, char, white fish, cutthroat trout, and rock cod.
To give it up would be a tragedy not worth thinking. But when Jesus calls, I must lay my line and rod to one side and follow. I still will be fishing but for something much more challenging than a dumb small mouth bass; I will be fishing for men.
What shall we call Him? Jesus the invitation to be more.
June is Jesus month, “What shall we call Him?” Day 23
James 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters. Whenever you face trials of many kinds.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Practical James. Speaking to the church scattered to the wind across the Roman world. It was tough times. So, the very first thing he tells them is about Joy in the middle of trials. No one wants things to come in their lives that try us, things that put us to the test, things that would steal our innermost peace. Yet, here James proclaims the first, and most important thing, his first priority for the church persecuted is to have joy.
Great big truck load of Joy. Not joy mixed with the lint in your back pocket. Not a little joy out of your reserve tank. Not joy that was just laying around being unused and dusty. Not joy that could be whitewashed over the pain. Not grin and bear it joy. Not “Keep calm and carry on” joy. Not tie a knot of the end of your rope and hold on Joy. Not a hang in their baby. ALL of your JOY. Joy plunked down for all to see, hear, and experience. The joy James is telling about is Joy for Grace and Mercy. In trials of many kinds you cannot be happy…..But you can have joy.
What shall we call Him? Jesus my Joy.
June is Jesus month, “What shall we call Him?” Day 24
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I’m not much of a prayer warrior. Oh I pray, I lift up to God my life in expectation of change. But sometimes my requests are about control. I want to control my circumstances and my plight by manipulation of God to do my bidding. My prayer requests seem to only be about things. About things I can’t control. I pray for healing; it is a great thing. I pray for employment for my fellow travelers so there will be food on the table; good stuff and is sorely needed. I pray for church growth; cool beans, I like to be associated with something that is growing. But as I pray these things which I cannot control they seem to weigh upon me.
The uncontrollability of each speaks of my inability to do something about the situation. These uncontrollable things steal my temporary happiness. They make me sad. Prayer requests do not make me happy, but they will bring Joy in the evidence of God. Until then I will pray without stopping.
What shall we call Him? Jesus the hearer of my prayers.
June is Jesus month, “What shall we call Him?” Day 25
The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. 50 Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” 52 The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” 54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ 55 But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” 57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” 59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple. – John 8:48-59
What is my identity? Who am I? What is the adjective that describes my noun? I call myself “Just Larry”. It is intended as a double entendre; a word or phrase that is open to two interpretations. Just Larry as one of the multitude, not much, not seen as important. And Just Larry as one justified by Christ, a child of the King, an heir to a kingdom, and loved and cared for by the Jesus. One is filled with anxiety and fear. The other one with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
The only time he was ever stressed out was in the Garden when he struggled with his “Who I AM”. How did Jesus relax with the weight of humanity on his shoulders (literally)? Ultimately, He lived a life perfectly because he knew without doubt who he was. As Jesus said, “I AM the way the truth and the life.” “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father”
I know who I am because I believe in the Great I AM and that makes a difference.
What shall we call Him? Jesus my example.
June is Jesus month, “What shall we call Him?” Day 26
II Cor 9:15 For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God. Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all, while they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
As I read this conclusion to the book of II Corinthians, I am struck by the word indescribable. If you have not experienced the grace of God in your life, how can mere words convey the reality of hope, peace, concern, grace and mercy of a loving God? How can I, the receiver of the gift of Jesus, describe it to someone that has only received earthly gifts? But here in Paul’s words it tells me! By supplying the needs of the saints, thanking God on a constancy, obedience of my confession and lavish supply of others, I have to pray and all the while yearning to them to experience the grace offered. Then and only then can I simply Thank God for the Gift!
What shall I call Him? Jesus my indescribable gift!
June is Jesus month, “What shall we call Him?” Day 27
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
It is easy to understand the tendency to compare yourself with the rest of the world. I could easily say, “I am special because of my lack of hair on my head”. I have heard, “God has made only a few perfect heads, and the rest He covered with hair.” I stand out in a room of fully haired people. In highlighting my specialness is an inherent separation. For some, that is a barrier. It is a differentiator. It separates. Yet, God is not the author of separation. God is the abolisher of fleshly hostility. To God and to me there is such thing as groups. Any word in front of “Lives Matter” is a fleshly division. Before God Himself there is no us and them. When we start to see everyone through the eyes of Jesus there will be peace.
What shall we call him? Jesus the peacemaker.
June is Jesus month, “What shall we call Him?” Day28
Revelation 3:1, 20, 21 To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Origin of the creation of God, says this: ………… Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. The one who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat with My Father on His throne.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
It has been a great month. Each day there was new insight into who Jesus is. Each day new revelation of how the names of Jesus shade His existence in my life. Now at the end June we look at one of my favorites. Jesus asking to come in. Most religion is the follower on the outside trying to get in. Entrance through effort. Earning with tasks and conformance the right to come in and be accepted. Here the picture is reversed. I am isolated inside of myself, doing my thing and God on the outside trying to get my attention. Jesus rapping upon the door and calling my name. I do not need any great heroic act. I only must swing open the door and He will do what He does.
What shall we call Him? I call him Jesus the caller of my soul.
June is Jesus month, “What shall we call Him?” Day 29
John 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
If you close your eyes you can almost see the eyes of the people. Each listening intently to every word Jesus was saying. Among the crowd were a few that were just there to tear Jesus down. Carefully dissecting each phrase for something that would discredit Him the eyes of all the others. In our world today the exact situation repeats itself again and again. “If Jesus was real why is there so much sin in the world.” My response to these detractors is simply this: “With all the soap in the world how come there are so many dirty people.” Jesus as a onetime event is not sufficient for the day to day life. Live in the light of Jesus every day.
What shall we call Him, I call him the Light of my life.
June is Jesus month, “What shall we call Him?” Day 30
Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Thomas the practical, “show me” disciple along with Phillip characterized by Spirit and wisdom and both questioning the theology of Jesus. Thomas questions the path. Philip questions the personality. Is it OK to question Jesus? Is it OK to be confused? When I look longing toward my path, is it OK to ask, “which way Jesus? When I hear the plethora of theological stands of theologs who are much more intelligent then I, is it OK to question of the relationship between Jesus and the Father?
Why do I doubt? Why do I constantly question? It is impatience or a lack of faith? Paul comes to the rescue! Study to show your self approved, correctly dividing the word of truth. I question not because I doubt Jesus. I question because it is a part of my growth.
What shall we call Him, I call Him the reason for seeking the Father.