Good morning!

I think the last several years which have at times seemed surreal, dreamlike at times and even nightmarish at other times, have driven me deeper into my faith. My desire to know my Savior, Lord Jesus, to walk with him, has been a constant drum beat in my life, getting more intense as each day passes. Maybe, just maybe, it is the ticking of the clock, my getting older…LOL, but I don’t think so.

God has placed on my heart the consuming desire to know Him, to know Him through His Son, Jesus. Part of the process of knowing Jesus is allowing His sanctifying work in our lives to transform us more and more into His likeness.
 
So with that as a back drop, here are some past thoughts on what it means to be a Christ follower:

• “A Christian is: a mind through which Christ thinks, a heart through which Christ loves, a voice through which Christ speaks, and a hand through which Christ helps.”

                 Saint Augustine
 
I saw this quote as I was writing down these thoughts and it just resonated with me. It seems to speak to the idea that living as a Christian is being a person that produces fruit in living, fruit that flows out of faith founded in God’s gift of mercy and grace, leading us to surrender our lives to Christ, laying our lives down, picking up our cross to follow Jesus, living for Him and His glory, not for ourselves.
 

• A mind through which Christ thinks – see Philippians 2:5-8 – “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

 
Other related verses - 1 Corinthians 2:16; Luke 19:10; Luke 5:16; Matthew 9:36. A commentary from one person about what the mind of Christ means – “Having the mind of Christ means we understand God’s plan in the world—to bring glory to Himself, restore creation to its original splendor, and provide salvation for sinners.”
 

• A heart through which Christ loves – see Matthew 11:29 – “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” In just reading this verse , I can almost sense the gentleness of Jesus and His deep and abiding love.

 

• A voice through which Christ speaks – as we study the Word (see John 1:1-5 – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” ), we become equipped by Christ to actively share the Good News – both that we are all sinners, not one of us has our own righteousness (Romans 3:9-11), and then that indeed, through Christ’s perfect sacrifice we can be saved (John 3:16-18). We are a voice that Christ can use.

 

• A hand through which Christ helps – see Matthew 25:34-36 – “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’” Our hearts ought to be so full of Christ’s presence through the Holy Spirit, that we bear this kind of fruit of service to others, putting ourselves aside to see to the needs of others. In this we do need to remember that our motive in this work is not earning salvation, but rather an outpouring of the love, grace and mercy we received when we became children of God (see Ephesians 2:8–9). Other related scripture references include: James 1:27; Mark 1:40-41;

 
The St. Augustine quote evokes the idea of transformation and sanctification – the change that happens when we are reborn and become children of God. We are dependent on Christ through the Holy Spirit to live transformed lives, lives that reflect the light of Christ. We become a tool, servant of Christ when we surrender our lives to him. The more we trust and are fully surrendered the more our lives look like that of Christ.
 
Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us as we go into this weekend is that we each can open up ourselves to know Jesus more deeply and then to let Him, through the Holy Spirit, to fully use us – mind, heart, voice and hands – to share Him with the world, to shine His light! Amen!
 
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick

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Good morning!

I continue working through issues with a pinched nerve in my neck - I am making progress but much slower than I would like. This causes me to feel stress and anxiety. Now in times of high stress and life challenges I more frequently am sent to my knees to pray or seek quiet time in His presence. So I am pondering the heart, specifically my heart today.
 
Where is your heart today? We know ultimately, we will be judged by what is in our hearts. There is so much in scripture around our hearts (over 800 references).
 
Here is just a little bit of the scripture around the heart:
Matthew 5:7-9, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
Matthew 6:19-23, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
Matthew 12:34, “You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”
Proverbs 4:23, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”
 
Reading these verse, leaves me asking myself where is my heart at? Often, sitting in reflection, more often than not after some interaction where I am questioning my side of the interaction, the focus is on what is going on in my heart.

Do you ever look inside and ask that question?
 
Are there specific circumstances that cause you to pause and take inventory of your heart?

I believe I need to do this more frequently than I do although as noted above circumstances are driving me to this activity more – maybe this should be a daily check-point.
 
For me, it seems that when my heart is in the right place, centered in the love of Christ, there is more peace in both physical and spiritual challenges, more productivity and more positive interactions, even in the most difficult of situations.
 
These scripture versus speak directly to this idea –

• Seeing God, our Creator, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, becomes possible with a pure heart. (A pure heart might be defined like this - Philippians 4:8 - "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."). Our knowledge of and relationship with God is made deeper.
• Our hearts are seen in what we value, hold close and treasure. It is so worth stepping back and reflecting on what things or people mean the most to us. We might find we hold something or someone in this life in a higher position than Jesus Christ our Lord.
• When our hearts are right in Christ, “abundance” comes from our mouth – abundance of appreciation, abundance of support for others, abundance of wisdom through the Holy Spirit, abundance of love as shown to us through Christ…and…if we are conscious and intentional (vigilant) in keeping our hearts focused on and in Christ.
• Proverbs says that the springs of life will flow from our heart…springs – I am not sure about the word springs but would suggest two meanings are worth consideration – spring as in the time of year – time for new birth, new growth, new relationships, new gifts, new generosity, new love or… springs of water – as Christ promised the eternal water of life, again the abundance of growth, gifts and generous acts..

 
Our hearts then it seems are part of or the source of Christ’s life in our lives, the light that others might see. For each of us, does your daily reflection allow you to see the light of your heart focused in Christ  - reaching out to those around you?
 
Where is your heart today? Is your heart emanating Christ’s Light?
 
Lord Jesus, my prayer is that we each go into this weekend taking time to ask God to recharge, refill and ready our hearts for His work, in whatever work or activities that we do – so from abundant hearts God has given us through You, Lord Jesus, that we are shining Your light glorifying God to those around us. Amen!
 
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick

Good morning!

The good news about God is that He is constantly transforming us, sanctifying us. As I reread the reflections below I praise God for His work in my life to change me, to bring me back to the creation He intended me to be.

So yesterday, despite anxiety over all that is going on in the world and in our lives, there was a lot more a) peace in the waiting; b) ability to stop and pray to God about what was going on as it was going on; c) capacity to trust God with the timing and outcome; and d) need to just rest in His presence. 
 
God is…Patient…
 
I am not!!!
 
Truth.
 
My fuse is short. I get frustrated easily, and even angry at times as a result…
 
Truth is, God, through Christ and the Holy Spirit, has been shaping me, teaching this old “dog” new ways of living. And this is an area that God has, flat out, been molding me and testing me in for a long period of time – I see the fruit of the Spirit in this area.
 
Everyday there are people, situations, and circumstances that require patience. And I now have come to a point that I can turn to God in response rather than to my default response of frustration.
 
Yet, the work of Christ through the Holy Spirit is not yet done. I can see that too.
 
God as patient is related to God as faithful…God desires even that the absolutely evil and wicked turn to Him. God waits…patiently…and I think it is reasonable to say waits faithfully - you can see it here in Ezekiel 33:11: 
Say to them: 'As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked should turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?'
 
Or here in Romans 2:4:
Or do you disregard the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you to repentance?
 
Here we see God is generous in His patience - Revelation 2:21:
Even though I have given her time to repent of her immorality, she is unwilling.
 
God gives us time to return to Him, to surrender our rebellion and give our lives to Him, through the very death of Jesus Christ, His Son, on the cross. No human measure of patience can compare. Here is some scripture that speaks to God’s willingness to wait on us:
 
Numbers 14:17-18 (Similar to this verse found here - Exodus 34:6; Nehemiah 9:16-17; Psalm 86:15; Psalm 103:8; Psalm 145:8; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2. These verses and more can be found here):
17 “Now may the Lord’s strength be displayed, just as you have declared: 18 ‘The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’
 
1 Timothy 1:15-17:
15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
 
2 Peter 3:8-9:
8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
 
2 Peter 3:14-15:
14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.
 
God’s patience is significant in that His interest is He is for us (and we need to know, He is doing work in us while being patient with us) – that through His patience, we may have the opportunity to return home – to see the truth of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross, conquering death, ripping the curtain wide open, so we can ultimately stand in joy before our Father…woe to me if our God was not a patient God.
 
My reaction to this revelation of God’s character is one of awe and gratitude, for if He were not patient, I would not be saved. What do you think? How does God being patient impact your life?
 
Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us as we enter this weekend is that we appropriately recognize and appreciate how God is patient with us in our lives – AND – that we share that kind of godly patience with all others who intersect our lives. Amen!
 
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick
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