Thorns

"Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn." (2 Corinthians 12:7a)

What's your thorn? I never really thought about it before. I think we all have one (or two or three?). The Apostle Paul had an especially "prickly" thorn.

Can you believe it? Such a man of God as him? You'd think he could pray it away. He actually tried, but God said, "Nope. It's yours to keep, Paul." Now that wasn't very nice of God. (Or was it?)

And there are things in our lives that we are dealing with and continue to deal with day after day, week after week, year after year after year ~ and, quite frankly, it's humbling (humiliating). And we're wanting God to take it away. (Right?) And we're demanding it (some of us). After all, whatever we ask in prayer shall be done! (Amen?) And we're expecting God to take our thorn(s) away.

But He won't.

The reason is: He doesn't want to lose us. (Selah ~ pause to reflect)

And God knows He will (lose us) except for the thorn(s).

So pull it in closer. (Ouch.) And hold to it fast. (It just pricked me. Am I bleeding again?) Embrace your thorn(s) as hard as it is. (Mine hurts bad.)

And consider the following...

7 "prickly's" about thorns:

1. They are (fiendishly) painful. (2 Corinthians 12:7b)
2. We would (wrongly) have them removed. (2 Corinthians 12:8a)
3. They are a protection against pride. (2 Corinthians 12:7b)
4. They could be a physical defect, disability, even a person. (2 Corinthians 12:10b)
5. They have a relationship to the depth of revelation we receive. (2 Corinthians 12:7a)
6. They are allowed by God's discretion / direction. (2 Corinthians 12:7-8ab)
7. We should be thankful for them. (2 Corinthians 12:10ac)

(Picture above under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike license: HERE.)

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Chosen (A Dream Come True)

I was twelve going on thirteen. It was the night of the Little League draft. And all I can remember is how bad I wanted to get on the Padres baseball team. Anything less would just not do. Anything less would be a heartbreak. But I really didn't have much of a chance (in my mind). There were too many other players better than me (I thought). I waited for the phone call to find out. Would I be chosen by the team I wanted or by another? An hour went by. And a second hour. The call didn't come. So I went to bed. The next thing I remember is being suddenly awakened. It was my dad. He was shaking me. He was saying, "Michael, Michael!" (I was in a fog.) "You got picked! You got picked by the Padres!" It was a dream come true. Wow.

Similarly, we've been "chosen" by God who believe in His Son. (John 6:44) We've been "awakened" to a relationship with the living Christ. We've been "picked" by Him (literally). He made the "call" and we are His. (Mark 3:13) It was His "choice." (1 Peter 2:9) It was (is) His desire and design for the saints. (Romans 8:29-30) Truth be told, it's really the team I always wanted to be on. \o/

God Rejoices Over Us

In one game in high school an all-star quarterback threw for 354 yards and four touchdowns. (Wow.) When he was able to talk to his father about it, his dad said, "And if you didn't miss seeing that receiver wide open in the end zone you could have had a fifth touchdown." The young man would spend the next number of years of his life looking for that fifth touchdown.

And our relationship with God can degenerate into a "performance" (the father in the story representing a demanding, unable to make happy Lord.) Part of the problem I'm convinced is that many preachers and pastors present God like this: with a furrowed brow and half-smile countenance (if any smile). Some of us see the Lord like that. In our heart of hearts it's how we perceive Him. (Is it you?)

And our lives can become like we can never please God. We can never live up no matter how many TDs we throw or yards passing (we don't pray enough, we don't witness enough, we don't read the Bible enough, we don't do this or that enough). We always come up short. And that's unfortunate. Because God isn't like the father in the story at all. (Did you need to hear it?) Instead, God is happy with us even if (and when) we don't throw any touchdown passes. His love has nothing to do with our performance. It has everything to do with who He is and what Jesus has done.

Meditate (consider for a while) the Bible verse: "The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing." (Zephaniah 3:17) I especially like the parts in italics. They declare that I'm the focus of rejoicing in God's heart! (And you are, too, who know His Son.)

(Thanks to Donnie Moore for sharing this truth.)

Let There Be Nothing Left - Today

"And [Jesus] answered, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.'" (Luke 10:27)

I want to talk about leaving it all on the field ~ leaving it all on the field today. Let me explain. I'm not talking about tomorrow. I'm not talking about next week, next month or next year. I'm not talking about when you graduate from Bible college or get your ministry degree or when the pastor recognizes you for how "spiritual" you are. I'm talking about (quote) "today." I'm talking about the field of life "today" ~ my life and your life. Rise up! And in whatever we've got going (as a parent, as a single person) and as a believer in Jesus Christ, in the circumstances we find ourselves in / facing, we need to leave ever last ounce of energy and service and passion on the "field of our life" in the name of Jesus Christ and for His great cause (to rescue sinners).

I'll be the first to admit I don't do it. Not always. I don't always put it all out there and on the line. I don't always give "110%." I have it in me. I know I do. (And so do you.) I could. I can. (You could. You can.) I (we) must! And what if it's that last stretch on our part? What if it's that last reach, squeeze, bit of strength ~ strain (ouch) in prayer, a helping hand, etc? What if that's what it takes to grasp hold of and pull out that single, solitary and forgotten (struggling) soul on the brink? Reach. Squeeze. Let there be nothing left ~ today.

The Unseen Hand

We just don't realize how much God protects us. (I know I don't.) We had a drug bust take place in our neighborhood recently. I wrote about it in: "SWAT Operation (and the stupid thing I did)." From the same house (where 6 were arrested and 25 lbs. of marijuana was seized) a truck started backing up at full speed yesterday (that's right, going in reverse) down the street and up the hill. What you gotta know is our street is only wide enough to handle one car. So I was fearful (to say the least). My wife and kids were due to come home from shopping right about that same time. I thought there would be a collision (either them or someone else). And all I could think about is how stupid those people were. Did they not learn the lesson of their partners during the arrest? It was right about then that I looked up and saw my wife and kids in our car coming home at just the same time as that crazy truck backing up the hill at full throttle ~ however, they'd come home the opposite way! They hardly ever go that way is what I'm trying to say. Indeed, they would have collided with that truck if they'd gone the normal way. Let me say (write) it again: We just don't realize how much God protects us. #ThankYouJesus

The "Luck" of Barabbas (Part 1)

Barabbas. Do you remember him? He was the guy when Jesus was before Pilate who was offering for someone to be let go - it was Barabbas who got to go. You talk about "luck." That's what many in our society would call it.

While as believers - how many of you know we don't live life with that kind of "chance" mentality? Rather, we know things happen for a reason. We know there's a God behind it all that causes this and that to take place and allows this and that or disallows this and that. We, as believers, don't live thinking it's by chance that things happen.

Barabbas wasn't chosen to be in the running for freedom in Pilate's court that day long ago by chance. Uh uh. Instead, it was by design. It was God's "design" that Barabbas was chosen. It was because God wanted Barabbas there that he was there. It was because God wanted Barabbas set free.

And isn't that what God's favor and grace is all about? "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

God's favor and grace. It's all about people being chosen for freedom (from sin) not based on who they are or what they've done in the past, but rather based on because God's love has decided for it to happen. (Romans 5:8)

God had decided that Barabbas should go free though he was a "notorious prisoner." (Matthew 27:16) and though he had insurrection in his blood. (Barabbas had robbed and murdered the Bible says.) Despite Barabbas' wickedness, God decided that Jesus should be held and killed and Barabbas let go (when it should have been the other way around).

Isn't that amazing?

And it's all the more amazing when you understand the story of Barabbas is really a story about you and and a story about me. We are all prisoners of sin with no hope of release (just like Barabbas). And yet God's design is that Jesus take our place and die that we might be set free.

O the depths of the riches of God's favor and grace! It's enough to make a person shout, "Hallelujah!"

(To read Part 2 - Whatever Happened to Barabbas?, click here.)

The "Luck" of Barabbas

Barabbas. Do you remember him? He was the guy when Jesus was before Pilate who was offering for someone to be let go - it was Barabbas who got to go. You talk about "luck." That's what many in our society would call it. While as believers--how many of you know we don't live life with that kind of "chance" mentality? Rather, we know things happen for a reason. We know there's a God behind it all that causes this and that to take place and allows this and that or disallows this and that. We, as believers, don't live thinking it's by chance that things happen. Barabbas wasn't chosen to be in the running for freedom in Pilate's court that day long ago by chance. Uh uh. Instead, it was by design. It was God's "design" that Barabbas was chosen. It was because God wanted Barabbas there that he was there. It was because God wanted Barabbas set free.

And isn't that what God's favor and grace is all about? "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). God's favor and grace. It's all about people being chosen for freedom (from sin) not based on who they are or what they've done in the past, but rather based on because God's love has decided for it to happen (Romans 5:8).

God had decided that Barabbas should go free though he was a "notorious prisoner" (Matthew 27:16) and though he had insurrection in his blood. (Barabbas had robbed and murdered the Bible says.) Despite Barabbas' wickedness, God decided that Jesus should be held and killed and Barabbas let go (when it should have been the other way around). Isn't that amazing?

And it's all the more amazing when you understand the story of Barabbas is really a story about you and me. We are all prisoners of sin with no hope of release (just like Barabbas). And yet God's design is that Jesus take our place and die that we might be set free. O the depths of the riches of God's favor and grace! It's enough to make a person shout, "Hallelujah!"