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“Let’s play follow the leader!”

Remember saying that? We’ve all played that age-old game. Running around the yard, doing exactly what the leader did.

As you played that game years ago, could you have imagined saying it many years in the future but in reference to your life?

Paul was a leader and encouraged the Philippian believers to follow him, “Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example.” (Phil. 3:17 NLT)

In essence, Paul said, “Be co-imitators of my life.” “Learn from those who shape their lives after us.” “Mimic us and observe those that live as we do.” “We” meaning Paul and his other followers who were living exemplary lives. They were setting an example, a pattern of living, something worthy of being imitated.

He also told the Corinthians, "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ." (1 Cor. 11:1 NIV)

Why was Paul a good leader? Why was he able to tell others to follow him? Because he truly followed the Lord.

Can we say the same about our lives?

Our lives will more than likely be a disappointment to others at some time or another. The Lord never said we were perfect. But He said He is. And our lives should point to Christ as the Perfect One to follow.

Jesus has always entreated others to align themselves with Him. He started by calling the Disciple Dozen to follow Him.

One day on the lakeshore of Capernaum, as Jesus walked through the crowd gathered there and was teaching them, He saw Levi, a tax collector. He looked at him and said, “Follow Me.” No other conversation. Levi got up, left his old way of life, and followed Jesus. He is otherwise known as the disciple Matthew.

Jesus called Simon Peter and his brother Andrew as they fished. He called James and his brother John as they mended their nets. One day in Galilee, Jesus found Philip and called him to follow.

All the disciples left their old way of life and followed Jesus.

On one occasion, Jesus spoke to the disciples and a crowd, saying, “If any of you wants to be My follower...you must put aside your own pleasures and shoulder your cross, and follow Me closely.” (Mark 8:34 TLB)

And He speaks the same to us. “Leave it all behind and follow Me!”

Jesus said, “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.” (John 12:26 NKJV)

By definition, if anyone is serving Jesus by being an attendant, ministering to one, waiting at a table offering food and drink to guests, supplying food and the necessaries of life, taking care of the poor and the sick, serving as deacons, serving another’s interests, s/he is to also follow Jesus.

If we’re going to serve Him, we must walk as He walked, do as He did, follow His lead.

In other words, we can’t just “play” follow the leader. We must be sure that what we are doing in service to Jesus is truly following Him and not just doing works. “To follow” means to be in the same way with, to accompany as a disciple. A disciple is one who imitates Jesus’ example by serving others. True service brings honor.

If we follow Jesus, Paul urges us, “Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ” (Phil. 1:27 NLT), to walk “worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory” (1 Thess. 2:12 NKJV), and “now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow Him.” (Col. 2:6 NLT)

We need to ask ourselves...

Am I “playing” follow the leader?

Is my life worth imitating?

Have I left my old way of living to follow Jesus?

Am I truly serving others?

Am I living my life for God’s glory?

Our prayer should be as David’s, “Lead me by Your truth and teach me, for You are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in You.” (Ps. 25:5 NLT)

Are you like this...

Or can you say to others with confidence, “Follow me”? 

 

                                                                         

Night? Day? I could not tell. A shroud of darkness prevailed.

The ground before me appeared to be a soft, sandy loam. About fifty feet ahead lay an unending area of burning flames, its origin unknown. The lapping flames were not the typical orange, yellow, or even white-hot flames. They appeared almost an invisible bluish-black, as ebony flames of hell.

Some figures stood at the edge of the flames, talking. A thick veil of evil filled the air.

I was frightened. So frightened, I could not move. I could only watch what unfolded before me.

Out of the corner of my right eye, I could see a figure in a flowing, white robe slowly walking along, moving from my right to my left, at a distance between me and the line of flames. He said nothing. Never turning to look at me or the others, he walked with his eyes focused before him.

I knew in an instant it was Jesus. Every ounce of me wanted to reach out, to call to Him, to have Him stop and wait for me. But some unknown force held me in place. My feet felt shackled to the ground; my parched lips stuck together.

As Jesus moved almost out of the scene, it appeared He would leave me behind. He was going on without me. I ached to go with Him.

“Stop, Jesus! Don’t go without me! Jesus! Jesus!” the words finally blurted out.

He stopped. He turned and looked at me. Never saying a word. I could hear my own sigh of relief. All was well.

That was all. I woke up, frightened, yet relieved. Saddened, yet overjoyed. Tears would come later in the recall of this scene.

How many times each day does Jesus pass our way and, yet, we do not call out to Him? We are too busy, too preoccupied, too self-centered, trying to do our own thing, to go our own way.

Jesus says...

I passed your way today. You heeded Me not.

My child, you’ve called on My Name, needing help, guidance, or supply. I draw near in your times of need, but My Presence goes unnoticed.

I pass by, My Voice unheard. You pay more attention to pressing demands without realizing those demands would be met so much the readier if you only came to Me first, trusting Me to have My way.

I draw near to speak when your ears pulse with the deafening sound of raging storms. But you do not quiet yourself to hear My Still Small Voice.

I draw near when you heart is overwhelmed with stress, grief, or disappointment.

I so long to touch your fretted brow, to take your trembling hand and gently guide you, to wash your tired feet, to whisper comfort to your hurting soul, to supply your every need.

I am full of tenderness and care, forgiveness and love, strength and comfort, provision and peace.

I drew near to share it all with you today, but you were too busy. I passed by, undiscovered.

Oh, do not miss Me, My child. I am always near. Only a whisper away.

Jesus of Nazareth passed my way,
Redeemed me by his pow’r;
Oh, hear the cry, “he passeth by,”
Give him thy heart this hour.

~chorus of the 1897 hymn

Jesus of Nazareth Passed My Way

by John J. Hood

May you not miss His presence as He passes your way today.

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Shhh! Listen! Can you hear it? 

Can you hear God’s voice in your surroundings? In things like...

* bubbling streams and surging oceans

* turbulent storms and calm, clear days

* glowing sunsets and breath-taking sunrises

* majestic mountain heights and verdant valleys

* the lives of ants, butterflies, rabbits, and squirrels

* the beauty of snow and ice and the desperation of droughts

* the melodies of birds and the rustling of breezes through the leaves

* the explosive hues of fall trees and the vibrant variety of spring and summer blossoms

What about your thoughts? What do they convey to you?

What do your eyes “say” to your brain about what they see?

What do your hands “speak” to your heart as they touch objects?

What do your feet “tell” you about where you walk? (And no, not that they hurt!)

God communicates with us in immeasurable ways, but our busy schedules, other interests, and circumstances numb us to them. We become inattentive to His voice spoken through others, our circumstances, His Word, and His creation. His voice is available to us every second of every day as He continuously speaks to us through all that He has created.

God created all things, commanding them to exist by His Eternal Word. The writer of Hebrews tells us that “the word of God is living, and powerfully working, and sharper than every two-edged sword.” (Heb. 4:12 Received Greek Text) The Amplified Bible states it this way, “For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective].”

By the definitions of the words in that verse, God’s Word is alive and powerful, active and working, keen and cutting. Not ordinary words, His words are unseen, living entities, actually working energy and living matter of the dynamic kind that creates.

God’s Word creates because it is a part of Himself, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1 NKJV) and Jesus is that Word of God, “His name is called The Word of God.” (Rev. 19:13 NKJV)

John 1:3 says that, through Jesus as the Word, “all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.” (NIV) He is “the Origin and Beginning and Author of God’s creation.” (Rev. 3:14b Amp)                                                                                       

Scripture also says, “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Col. 1:17 NIV), that creation is “being held together by the word of God” (2 Peter 3:5 RGT), as Christ the Word is “upholding all things by the word of His power” (Heb. 1:3 NKJV).

God’s Word is everlasting. It never dies, for “the word of God which lives and abides forever…the word of the Lord remains forever.” (1 Peter 1:23, 25 Received Greek Text)

David said, “What You say goes, GOD, and stays, as permanent as the heavens.” (Ps. 119:89 Msg) And Jesus declared it, “My words won’t wear out; My words will never pass away.” (Matt. 24:35 Msg)

Whether those spoken words were preserved as the written Word or preserved in creation, they are still alive. Therefore, if that Living Word never dies and echoes throughout the endless halls of eternity, then its power is continuously and permanently active in what it has created, being perpetuated from one generation to the next.

All atoms and molecules of living matter circulate in resonation, pulsating, as the dictionary says, with the same frequency as their source. Within that living matter is God’s voice imprint, His DNA, as the Source of all life, still resounding in the entire universe.

That same echo of the Living Word working in creation operates also in our hearts to create eternal life within us.

If God’s voice still resonates in creation and in us, are we sensitive enough to hear His Still Small Voice?

Oh, my sweet friends, God is speaking.

Do not miss His sweet whisper.

Shhh! Listen! Can you hear it?

                                                                       

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Lift the flap of the tent of time with me and we’ll peek in...

Morning is breaking on the Mount of Olives.

A gentle breeze caresses the grass, evaporating the dew. The birds awake from their slumber with sweet songs to greet the day.

As the horizon releases the sun, soft wisps of amber, rose, coral, and tangerine mingle with the delicate blue sky.

The blush of light filters softly through the leaves of the olive trees, pooling on the ground as ethereal stepping stones, as if welcoming a special visitor to the seclusion and serenity of the mount.

And this morning, a special visitor does come. Jesus spends time in prayer with His Father, and, when He is finished, He leaves His beloved mount of prayer and strolls down to the temple.

People from all around fill the temple to sit in His presence, to listen to Him teach. He sits in their midst but is halted by a rude interruption of the Pharisees (those who are not fair-you-see) and the teachers of the Law who thrust a woman before Him.

They say, “Teacher, this woman was seized in the very act of adultery!”

Ripped right from her private bedroom and dragged into public view.

Was she still naked? And how did they find her? Did someone see her solicit her paramour? Did they peek in a window? Did they eavesdrop? Was this a set up to trap Jesus since the male counterpart of this tryst is missing?

Standing there in the midst of the crowd, she hangs her head to hide the embarrassment turning her face red. Tears fill her eyes as hatred fills her heart. Every eye in the crowd focuses on her.

These self-appointed vigilantes of virtue continue, waving rocks clutched tightly in their fists, and bracing themselves to hurl the missiles of death at her. “Moses’ Law says to stone her. What do you say?”

Ah, it is a trap. In their minds, they wonder if He will let her go, abandoning the Law, or throw the first stone, upholding the Law. They seek no justice, merely some evidence to use against Him.

No answer from Jesus. Just silence. Instead of responding, He squats down and begins writing in the dirt with His finger, ignoring their continued questions. Is He making a list of sins?

The Pharisees and teachers stand there, steaming with spite.

Jesus stands upright, looks accusingly at them all, and commands, “Whoever has not sinned, hurl the first stone!” Again, He stoops down and continues writing in the dirt. This time, it looks like He adds each of their names beside the sins.

Convicted by their consciences, they stumble over their own feet as they backtrack. One by one, they slip away, as a flurry of thuds is heard from stones hitting the ground.

As Jesus straightens up this time, He sees no one but the accused woman standing there, tears streaming down her relieved face.

“Woman, where are those who accuse you? Does no one condemn you?”

Looking into His loving eyes, she says, trembling, “No one, Lord.” Now, what will He say to me?

Gently, He says to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go, now, and leave your life of sin.” And He smiles that glorious, forgiving smile at her.

With sighs of exoneration, she thanks Him profusely as she turns around to leave and start a new life.

Do you have a secret sin that would cause public humiliation for you if others knew about it? The Lord is always waiting, ready to forgive and pardon.

Jesus says to you, “Neither do I condemn you; go, now, and leave your life of sin.”

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive

us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

1 John 1:9 ESV

Ackk! My glasses are dirty again!

I reach for my specially-treated, purple cloth and wipe off the yuck. How does that stuff get there? Always amazes me that it just appears.

Usually, I don’t notice that my glasses are dirty, and I don’t realize I’m squinting. Sometimes, I get a headache. The change is so subtle that it’s overlooked. After removing the film and spots from my glasses, my eyes relax and I can see better.

As Trapper John said to Radar on M.A.S.H, “Clean your glasses and you’ll know where you are!”

Aren’t we like this spiritually? I know I am. Looking through spiritual lenses, I don’t realize the build up of smudges, spots, and blemishes caused by the things I say, do, see, hear, etc. Things get blurry. And get worse. It’s like gradually drawing down a blackout shade. So imperceptible that it isn’t detected. Until it is pitch black and I don’t know where I am!

I tolerate those tiny, subtle spots and unconsciously overlook them. I end up with a squinting spirit and instead of a headache, I develop a heartache. And the disconnect from the Lord slowly takes place.

Jesus died for those spots and blemishes in the lives of His Church Bride, “He gave up His life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. He did this to present her to Himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.” (Eph. 5:25b-28 NLT)

I need to ask the Lord to search me, to bring those things to my attention of which I may be unaware or have ignored. Praying David’s prayer would be a good start, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends You, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” (Ps. 139:23-24 NLT)

Have you been seeing clearly lately? If not, clean your spiritual lenses and you’ll know where you are!

                                                                         

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...and

Reflections of His Grace/Grace Cafe

Where: The mountaintop.

Who: The lucky three: Peter, James, and John.

What: Jesus leads the three on a climb up the mountainside.

A climb that will change their lives forever.

They trudge their way through trees and rocks hundreds of feet up the lofty mountain, a long and arduous climb. The men labor to breath; their lungs work overtime. Small beads of sweat expand into streamlets emptying into their beards. Their leg muscles feel heavy and begin to burn.

Each step puts more distance behind them and the swarming crowds, the hypocritical Pharisees, and the demands on Jesus.

Yet, in their climb, they enjoy softly brushed clouds against a swash of blue sky, a cooler temperature, and the fresh smell of pine trees.

Finally reaching the top, they sit down to rest and allow the gentle breeze to refresh them as they look out on the remote valley below them.

Jesus falls to His knees to pray. The disciples follow His posture, but tired from the strenuous climb, they fall asleep.

As Jesus prays, His appearance alters. A divine radiance transfigures Jesus, as if heaven has sent blazing rays of firebolts to shoot out from Him. His face glows with a dazzling luster, shining as the light of a torch; His robe glistens with an ethereal white.

Awakened by the blinding light, the men shield their eyes, not believing what they see. Pinching themselves, they murmur, “Is this a vision? Are we still asleep?”

What a privileged sight for the three disciples! Privileged to see the glory that has been pulsing within Jesus’ human form, now bursting forth from its concealment. In that aurora of light, all else fades into a vaporous void - trees, rocks, grass, all blanched by the glory.

But what’s this? Squinting and rubbing their eyes, they see Moses and Elijah standing and talking with Jesus.

Moses, the representation of the Law.

Elijah, the representation of the prophets.

Jesus, standing between them, the fulfillment of both.

Oh, how He must have wanted to go back to heaven with them.

But Peter...always the impulsive Peter...sullies this hallowed moment by blurting out, “Lord, it’s wonderful for us to be here! If you want, I’ll make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” (Matt. 17:4 NLT)

But as he speaks, a luminous cloud overshadows them in a haze of brightness, encompassing all of them.

A mighty voice booms out of the cloud, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matt. 17:5a NKJV)

The resonance of the voice cleaves through the rarefied air. The mountain quakes. The disciples slump to the ground as if struck by a bolt of lightning. Too terrified to look up.

Again, the voice, “Hear Him!” (Matt. 17:5b NKJV) And it was gone.

Jesus draws near in compassion and touches them. They feel that familiar gentle and reassuring hand on their shoulders, “Get up; don’t be frightened.”

When they look up, there is no Moses. There is no Elijah. No more bright cloud. Just Jesus, as He’s always been.

Still in a daze, they descend the mount of glory to the valley of what is to come. On their way down, Jesus says, “Do not mention to anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” (Matt. 17:9 Amp)

Those two words, spoken in glory, echo throughout eternity, to all generations to follow, “Hear Him!”

What about us today? When the Lord leads us to the top of the mount of circumstance, to look out over the reality in the valley below...

* Do we follow Jesus’ example and pray or do we fall asleep?

* Do we enjoy the climb, or do we complain with every step?

* Does the climb change our lives forever?

* Do we listen to the Lord’s voice and consider what He says? Or does a lightning bolt have to strike us before we will listen?

In your life, do you ever climb with Jesus? What pales in the light of Christ? Do you hear Him?

                                                                         

Today, I am hooking up with...

 

 “For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

(Col. 3:3 NKJV)

I died!

Yup. I died.

The old self? Buried. Left behind. Forgotten.

“My old self has been crucified with Christ.” (Gal. 2:20a NLT)

Calvary’s cross lays atop that grave of the old me and I’ve said toodles!

The new me? Alive and hidden in Christ.

“It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Gal. 2:20b NLT)

And if you are in Christ, your old self is dead and buried also, right? “Your old, evil nature died with Him and was buried with Him.” (Col. 2:12 TLB)

Therefore, you and I are “a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Cor. 5:17 NKJV), because “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there.” (Gal. 5:24 NLT)

But are we content to leave well enough alone? Nooooooo! We have to go get our handy-dandy, Lowe’s special, heavy duty, grave-diggin’ shovel and dig up our old selves again because self wants to come out and play.

Oh, we welcome that rugged cross to rest upon our sins, but we won’t let it rest upon our nature.  

Paul assures us through his letter to the Roman church “that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.” (Rom. 6:6 NKJV)

But watch out! That old man likes to be dug up!

Unfortunately, after becoming a new creation in Christ, that old man has a stubborn propensity for raising his ugly head and yoo-hooing us from the grave. He likes to dangle his friends...impure thoughts, words, attitudes, sights, and feelings...right before our eyes.

And what do we do?

Yup. We reach for the shovel handle and start digging to accommodate him!

Then, we find ourselves saying...

“Well, halllloooo there, old pal negative attitude!”

“Howdy there, pardner selfishness!”

“Welcome back, ol’ addiction!”

“Glad to see ya, lust!”

But if “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you,” then, “dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation whatsoever to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.” (Rom. 8:11a, 12 NLT) Because “now you are free from your old master, sin” (Rom. 6:18 TLB), so “let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.” (Gal. 5:16 NLT)

Therefore, no more reaching for the shovel! No more grave digging!

And “That means you must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives. Don’t give it the time of day. Don’t even run little errands that are connected with that old way of life. Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time—remember, you’ve been raised from the dead!—into God’s way of doing things. Sin can’t tell you how to live. After all, you’re not living under that old tyranny any longer. You’re living in the freedom of God.” (Rom. 6:12-14 Msg)

Do you have a handy-dandy, Lowe’s special, heavy duty, grave-diggin’ shovel?

                                                                       

  

I have an old shoe box. Packed away somewhere. Filled with precious things. Love letters from my pre-wedding hubby. Old mementos. Probably a pressed flower or two. And other things I don’t even remember. I haven’t seen its contents in years.

Do you have a box like that? Is it filled with precious keepsakes like secrets, baby shoes, love letters, awards?

We keep tokens like this because we value them, maybe not so much for worldly value but for heartly value.

We have all read or heard many times of the story of a box (or jar) made of a highly esteemed stone, containing a prized ointment of great monetary value.

Passover was near. Jesus was in Bethany, having dinner, and “there came unto Him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on His head as He sat at meat.” (Matt. 26:7 KJ21)

Such a touching and devoted gesture. An alabaster passion box, full of an extremely valuable, perfumed oil of spikenard poured out on the One she loved the most.

In regard to this, I wrote in a past post, Sweet Smell of Sacrifice http://bit.ly/f9B2kH ...

She lovingly poured it upon Jesus’ head, and it likely trickled down His cheeks, seeped into His beard, and gently dripped upon His shoulders, saturating His garment...

Don’t you know that through the long hours of His agony in the garden, during His betrayal, in the courtyard of His judgment before Caiaphas and Pilate, and until that garment was removed, Jesus must have breathed in that sweet smell of sacrificial love poured out upon Him, while this scripture likely echoed in His Spirit, “The odor of your ointments is fragrant, your name is like perfume poured out.” (SOS 1:3 Amp)

As He probably did not wash His hair, the fragrance clung to it. That sweet aroma must have wafted its fragrance of love into His nostrils throughout His torment at the whipping post and while hanging on the cross, more than likely thinking, “This is for all those who will pour out their love on Me.”

But when she poured her fragrance of passion upon her Beloved Lord, some of the disciples became indignant and asked, “Why was this wasted?” (Matt. 26:8 NLV)

What would happen if we considered our heart as our alabaster box?

What precious things fill your heart? Special memories of love? Treasured moments with friends or loved ones? Encouraging words said to you? Cherished times spent with the Lord?

Or maybe it is filled with bitter memories of anger, abuse, addiction, or unforgiveness.

When you meet with your Beloved, to dine in His presence, to sit at His feet and tell Him you love Him, what passion fragrance do you pour out on Him?

Do you pour out the stench of whining, complaining, or bitterness? As the disciples said, “What a waste!”

Or do you pour out that overflow of sweet-smelling love, gratitude, and thanksgiving? Does your Beloved Lord receive it as He did the loving gift of spikenard?

“Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God.”

(2 Cor. 2:15 NLT)

~Lord, may the contents of our alabaster hearts and lives be poured out as a pleasing aroma in Your presence.

                                                                         

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Intentional.me

Reflections of His Grace/Grace Cafe

Imperfect Prose