Lou's Grave Garden

Ole Lou was a big dog. I didn't realize quite how big until I started digging the hole to bury him. After I'd dug as much as I could dig, and had a hole that seemed enormous, Sam took a turn. When Ryan came home, he looked at the grave, shook his head, and picked up a shovel. He kept at it until the work was done.

After Lou died, I wrapped him in a sheet, and lowered him into the hole we'd all worked to dig. There wasn't an inch of extra room. I filled it in and mounded the dirt on top, just like Sam told me to do.

The red dirt piled high has left a raw, ugly scar in the backyard that jars me every time I see it.

I've given considerable thought to beautifying the spot and making a kind of memorial to the dog we loved for fifteen years. Ryan and Lou grew up together. He was a much-loved part of our family, and stayed as cheerful as ever to the very last. 

I wanted to plant something over his grave, but the summer heat was too hot for new shrubs. At last, I made my plan. I'd plant zinnas now, and put a re-blooming azalea there in the fall. It would be a kind of grave-garden.

My seeds arrived in the mail one day last week. When I plant those seeds just under the surface of the ground, I don't have to worry about what will grow. Zinna seeds grow zinnas. Every single time.

That's what happens when we plant seeds. Watermelon seeds always grow watermelons. Spinach seeds always grow spinach. Flower seeds always grow flowers. 

In that same way, the choices we make on a daily basis are like seeds sown in the garden of life. We have the option, every day, to sow seeds of righteousness or seeds of idolatry and futility. The choices we make, in lifestyle, in actions, and attitudes, will bear fruit consistent with those choices. 

It's vitally important for us to sow wise and godly choices every day, for those seeds of choice bear fruit both now and in the hereafter. 

Worldly choices bring worldly rewards, but that isn't the kind of yield that carries over into eternity in the way we'd hope. It's only the seeds of righteousness that yield both a beautiful life now and joy in the hereafter.

Today, let's take a look at the harvest from our choices and make sure we're bearing fruit that yields an eternal reward.

"and the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit, and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty." Matthew 13:23 nasb
__________
In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: Stinky Hearts and Circling Vultures

Here's the link to the prayer guide: The Prayer List 
Here's the link to my Global Outreach page: Leanna Hollis MD
#Heaven

How to Live Longer

This mini-series began with two questions. Does God know when I will die? Can I make a difference in the length of my life?

The answer to both questions is yes. God knows how many days of life we have. He knows when we will die. He can, and does, add days to our allotment based on our choices. 

There are at least two ways described in Scripture that add length to our lives. 

In Deuteronomy 4 and Deuteronomy 30, God set a choice before His people. Obedience and life. Disobedience and death. (also see Proverbs 3:1-2, 9:10-11)

 "by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him, for this is your life and the length of your days..." 

                                            Deuteronomy 30:20 nasb

"My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments,

For length of days and years of life, and peace they will add to you."

                                 Proverbs 3:1-2 nasb

"The fear of the Lord prolongs life,

but the years of the wicked will be shortened."

                             Proverbs 10:27 nasb

God's word is very clear. He honors righteousness with an increase in days. 

Just to be sure we understand, this does not mean God will give us a longer life if we go to church every Sunday, or do good deeds, or abstain from certain sins. Those actions may be a part of fearing/respecting/honoring God, but our actions must flow from our love for Him. 

His word is equally clear. The years of the wicked will be shortened. We can sin as much as we want to sin, but those choices come with a price. We can cause tremendous destruction with our choices, but God sees and will eventually bring our sinful choices to an end. 

Defiant sin can shorten our lifespan.

The second method for adding length to our lives is a subset of the first and comes from the Ten Commandments.

Honor your father and mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land 

which the Lord you God gives you.

                                     Exodus 20:12 nasb

This verse can be taken one of two ways. First, honoring your parents will result in living in the Promised Land for a longer period of time. (Same lifespan. More of it in the Promised Land) Second, honoring your parents will result in prolonged life when you are living in the Promised Land. (Longer life, no matter where you are.) Ephesians 6:3 seems to point toward the second interpretation. 

Honoring your parents will results in a longer lifespan.

The key to a long life is simple, and easier than you might think. 

If you want a longer life, do what God says. 

Love God. Love others. Demonstrate that love in the way we live.

We'll have one more post on this topic before we move on. Tomorrow's topic: Is longer life worth the cost of obedience? 

~~~~~~~~~

In case you missed one of this week's posts, here are the links: Walking with God or Hiding with the World,  The Same Jesus, The God Who Never Fails, Halfway to Canaan, The Blessing Jar, The Potential for Heritage, Does God Know When I Will Die? Part 1 and Does God Know When I Will Die? Part 2

#lifeanddeath #longlife #whenwillIdie #doesGodknow #disciple #Christian #choice

photo courtesy freeimages.com

Does God Know When I Will Die? part 2

A friend called recently with a question about whether or not God knows when we will die and whether medical treatment can change when we die. The answer is not as simple as one might hope.

Yesterday, we considered the omniscience and omnipresence of God. 

He is everywhere at once. He knows everything.

Nothing surprises God. Nothing takes Him off-guard. Does God know when we will be born? Yes. Does God know when we will die? Yes. 

I can be certain about those two answers based on Psalm 139.

You wove me in my mother's womb...

Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;

And in Your book were all written

the days that were ordained for me,

when as yet there was not one of them.

Psalm 139:13, 16 nasb

We are completely known, from beginning to end, by our Creator.

If all our days are known by God, can we change the time we have on this earth? Yes. We can change both the quality and the duration of the time we have on earth. 

When Adam and Eve were placed in the garden, they had the choice to obey or not. That choice brought consequences, including (but limited to) expulsion from the garden, hard labor, and difficult childbirth. The quality of their life was changed by their choice, and likely the length of it, as well.

Medical studies have shown that certain lifestyle choices are associated with shortened length of life. If we make those lifestyle choices, we can expect to shorten our lives. Our lives are not shortened because of the medical study, our lives are shortened because of our choice. 

Some lifestyles are associated with diseases that can not only shorten our lives, but also drastically impact the quality of our lives as well. (smoking and lung cancer)

If we have diabetes, we can choose to follow a strict regimen of diet, exercise, and medication. We can choose to control our blood sugars and decrease the possibility of suffering and complications from diabetes, such as blindness, loss of sensation, loss of limb, and cardiovascular disease. Who wants to go blind? No one. All those complications will decrease the quality of our lives. 

Making good choices makes a difference.

High cholesterol levels are clearly associated with heart disease. If we take medication to lower our cholesterol, it may seem that a low cholesterol is the goal. It's only part of the goal. The goal of lipid-lowering medication is to avoid the consequences of a high cholesterol, which is, ultimately either heart damage from a myocardial infarction (heart attack) or debilitating chest pain from angina. Our choice to take (or not take) medication for high cholesterol can affect the quality of our life. 

Does that mean that medical care makes changes God doesn't know about? Of course not. He is omniscient. He knows everything. He knows the choices we will make and the effect those choices will have on our lives.

Both lifestyle choices and medical choices can change the quality of our lives, but can they change the length of our lives? Yes. We'll consider how to lengthen (or shorten) our days tomorrow. 

For now, let's take a close look at the lifestyle choices we make. Are they leading to complications that will improve or worsen the quality of our lives? Even more important, do our lifestyle choices draw people to Jesus or push them away?

Our choices do make a difference. 

Choose well.

~~~~~~~~~~

In case you missed one of this week's posts, here are the links:Freedom and Grace, Walking with God or Hiding with the World,  The Same Jesus, The God Who Never Fails, Halfway to Canaan, The Blessing Jar, The Potential for Heritage, and Does God Know When I Will Die? Part 1

#lifeanddeath #whenwillIdie #doesGodknow #disciple #Christian #choice

Walking with God or Hiding with the World

My homework for the first week of the new Bible study I'm attending was to read the first six chapters of Genesis. I've been through those verses several times this week, and I've found a three-word phrase that is only used of two people in the entire Bible. (At least as far as I can see) 

When God created man, Genesis 3:8 suggests, He walked in the garden in the cool of the evening. We can presume that Adam and Eve walked with Him, but what Genesis 3:8 says is that they hid from Him because of their sin.

Hiding from God because of our sin seems to be our default mode. 

622 years after creation, Enoch was born and he became a man who walked with God. It was so remarkable that, on one of their walks, Enoch walked home with God and "he was not". Enoch, I think, was the kind of man God intended us to be. 

Despite his faults, which we know he had because he was human, Enoch walked with God.

When Enoch "was not", there was not another man who walked with God on the earth until Noah was born. He is described as "righteous, a blameless man"(or a man of integrity). 

Noah, too, walked with God. 

Solomon described David as a man who walked with God (1 Kings 8:25) but we know that he didn't always walk with God.

Two men walked with God.

Every day, they had a choice to walk with God or hide out with the world. Every day, they chose God. 

We, too, have that same choice. We can choose the world and the glitter it offers or we can chose to walk with God. We can't have both, for "a little of the world" always yields less of God. 

This is a choice you and I must make. Will we walk with God or not? Will we allow Him to infuse our hearts, our speech, our thoughts, with His goodness and grace? Will we choose to obey Him at every opportunity? Will we be the men and women of faith He has called us to be?

The world is in a dreadful mess, in no small part because those of us who claim to be people of God have not walked with Him. If righteousness is to make a difference in the world, we must be ones who live with righteousness and integrity. 

We must walk with God if we hope to lead the world to walk with Him.

The way of the world leads to death and hell.  The way of God leads to life and hope and joy. Just as Enoch and Noah, we, too, have a choice to make, so let's choose well.

Will we walk with God or hide with the world? 

Our eternity depends upon our choice. Choose well.

~~~~~~~~~~~

# walkwithGod #choosewell #choice #disciple
~~~~~~~~~~~~
In case you missed it, yesterday's post was Freedom and Grace.

The most read post of last week was The Sleep Goal.

Freedom and Grace

I can't remember the circumstances, nor even who was present, but I remember the words that were spoken. 

"There's grace to cover that," someone said. 

Those words came back to me today as I read Romans 6. "Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase?" Paul asked. I read that and wondered why anyone would think continued sin a good idea. 

Keep sinning to get more grace? It sounds abhorrent, but it's what we do, in a way, isn't it?

When we intentionally sin, knowing we can get forgiveness, we are "continuing in sin that grace might increase". 

When, as disciples of Christ, we say things we know we shouldn't, do things we know we shouldn't, watch or read things we know we shouldn't, we aren't doing them with the expectation of eternal damnation for our sin. We do them with the expectation of grace to cover it.

The expectation of grace is sometimes treated as a "free pass", allowing us to do what we want, knowing we can ask for forgiveness later.

It was the stripes on Jesus' back, the blood He spilled, the death and resurrection of our Lord that bought the grace with which we sin so freely. 

I wonder how God views our casual treatment of His Son's sacrifice. Probably not as casually as we do.

Paul wrote that our old self was crucified with Christ, and our body of sin with it. We, who have died with Christ, are freed from sin.

We are freed from sin and it is no longer master over us. 

If we are free, then we must live free. The power of the Spirit of God in us makes freedom from sin possible. 

As the new year is still in its infancy, we can choose to make 2016 a different year. We can choose to make it a year of freedom from sin's hold on us. It sounds impossible, doesn't it? It's not. The sacrifice of Christ released us from bondage. Let's honor that sacrifice with our lives. There's a choice to be made, and it's simple. 

Don't choose sin. Choose righteousness.

Will I fail in this? Yes. 

Will you fail? Yes. 

A momentary failure, however, is not the same as defeat. The battle has already been won, so let us, this year, determine to live as victors through Christ. 

It bears repeating because we will repeat the choice over and over this year.

Don't choose sin. Choose righteousness. 

~~~~~~~~~~

You might also like these posts: (they'll open in a new window) The New Zealand Badge and Out with the Old. 
~~~~~~~~~~
photo courtesy of freeimages.com

#freedominChrist #choice #righteousness #disciple #Christian

Out With the Old

My grandmother believed the Christmas tree and all the decorations had to be down and put away before New Year's Day. It was bad luck to take the "old" into the new year, she said. 

I don't believe in luck, but I do believe in dealing with the old year before the new year begins. I want clean sheets and an empty dirty clothes hamper when midnight of New Year's Eve rolls around. 

I want to be finished with the last year before I start the next.

It took me all day yesterday, but, when I stopped, I had clean clothes, fresh sheets, and a clean refrigerator. I had boxes filled for a local charity, straightened cabinets, and clean floors. All the decorations were put away and a section of the storage house had been straightened.

There were a few heart issues that needed attention, as well. An attitude needed to be corrected, a hurt that I needed to let go. As I worked, I gave those to God, too. "I don't want to deal with this next year," I told the Lord.

Today is a new day, the start of a new year. If you haven't already, now is a perfect time to let go of the old to make way for the new.

I don't want to carry critical, judgmental attitudes, wrong choices, poor priorities, animosity, or repeated sin into the new year. This year, I won't. 

One of things that differentiates humans from the lower animals is free choice, and I've decided to make better choices, starting today.

Let's take a few minutes today to evaluate the sin that's plagued us, the priorities that have been misplaced, the hurts we've held to and make a better choice. 

Mark the old year, with its failures, "finished", and start the new year with a clean, fresh heart. 
***
Here's another post you might like: The New Zealand Badge
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Need a quick holiday read? Humor mixed with faith? 

Consider my e-book. The Clay Papers (lessons in being moldable in God's hands, based on a series of pottery lessons) is now available as a 99 cent ebook on Amazon. Click the link to see more. (There's a link to give it as a gift as well.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
photo courtesy of freeimages.com
#newyear #choice #makeachange

Finding Christmas: Tradition, Truth, and Choice

(This is the second in a two-part series on choice)

A man I know is dying, mostly because of the consequences of a lifetime of bad choices. He hates his symptoms. He hates the compilation of diseases that are killing him. Those who love him are heartbroken. It's a tragedy, but it's too late to undo a lifetime of poor decisions now.

He had a choice, every single day of the last fifty years, and he chose poorly. Repeatedly.

Having a choice is a greater luxury than we realize, for many people around the world are trapped in a situation with virtually no choice at all.

I recently asked the question, "If we understood what our choices would cost us, would we choose differently?" The answer I received was, "Probably not."

Perhaps we've grown so accustomed to the luxury of choice that we have forgotten the implications of choice, for every choice has a consequence. 

If I choose eggs and sausage for breakfast, it may not have a major consequence today, but, chosen daily over the course of a lifetime, it can impact my cholesterol, which may clog my arteries, damage my heart, and shorten my life.

Choices matter, both in our health and in our faith.

When visitors from the king of Babylon (Isaiah 39) came to Hezekiah, he showed them everything. All "his" treasures. All "his" riches. Isaiah told him, "That was a bad choice, Hezekiah. One day, all those treasures will be carried off to Babylon, and your descendants, too." (Leanna Paraphrase) I've read this passage dozens of times, and I'm still shocked by the king's response. 

Hezekiah didn't care. 

As long as he had peace in his day, complete with all the treasures he believed were his, Hezekiah didn't care what the consequences of his choices were.

My grandmother was kind to strangers, generous to the poor, and patient with those whose lifestyle was not the same as hers. She saved for the Christmas mission offering all year long because she was committed to taking the good news of Jesus around the world. She prayed for those around her until she saw the results God had promised. 

Her decisions, made fifty years ago, still impact me and my son today.

I'm so grateful for her good decisions and the positive impact those decisions have in my life. But what if she'd made poor decisions? Those poor decisions would still have an impact, too.

It's a scary thought. My decisions over the last twenty-three years have borne fruit (both good and bad) in my son's life. Some of those decisions will have a lasting impact for generations. 

It's a sobering thought. Both the expression of our faith and the way we celebrate the holidays of our faith have an impact that lasts for generations. There are many fun traditions associated with this time of year and it's easy to let tradition overshadow truth. 

The Son of God left heaven and nestled briefly in a stone manger filled with hay. It was the first stop on a journey that led Him to the Cross. For me. For you.

The beginning of Christ's journey is the truth of Christmas. 

This year, let's choose to keep our eyes on the truth of Jesus and allow it to overshadow everything the world has to offer. There is no glitter more beautiful than the sacrifice of a loving Lord who gave His most important treasure to save even the least of us. 

The choices we make now will impact our families for generations. Let's be sure those choices are not just good but the best we can make. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In case you missed any of the past week's posts, here are the links: Beginning the Advent Journey, Finding Christmas: The Best Advent of All, Finding Christmas: Something Better than Stuff, Finding Christmas: Setting a Goal, Finding Christmas: When Life is Less than Perfect, Finding Christmas: Clear Vision, and Finding Christmas: Making Choices that Count

The most read post of the last week: Grateful Heart: Family.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#Advent #keepChristinChristmas #MerryChristmas #JesusChrist #choice

photo courtesy of freeimages.com

Finding Christmas: Making Choices that Count

I've been thinking a lot about choices and decisions lately. 

Over the course of a day, we make an astounding number of choices. I started the day by choosing to get out of bed rather than roll over and go back to sleep. In the few minutes since I rolled out of bed, I've already chosen between black coffee or coffee with cream, eggs for breakfast or a fruit and nut bar with peanut butter, which section of Scripture to read today, potential topics for a blog post, and which pair of shoes to wear outside. Before the day is done, I'll make many more choices.

Some of the choices will have limited consequences. Which pair of shoes I wear outside won't matter much. My food choices today may have a significant long-term effect on my health and weight. My choice of Scripture and devotional materials may have a lasting effect on my spiritual health, as well as on that of my family.

The potential for consequences should be a driving force in our decision making, pushing us toward right choices.

When the angel appeared to young Mary, he told her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God." (Luke 1:30 nasb) She didn't find favor with God because she had a beautiful face or a lovely figure. She didn't find favor with God because she was a good housekeeper or sang well or danced well or told a story well. 

Mary found favor with God because she made right choices and obeyed Him. 

Tomorrow, I'll cut greenery and decorate my mantel. I'll haul out the tree and ornaments and decorations and set them in place. I'll wrap a few presents to go under the tree. I'll prepare Donna Krason's sugar cookie dough and freeze a roll or two. None of that will be about Christmas. It will all be about December. 

Tomorrow I'll also pull out the Nativity set my friends Yvonne and Marilyn gave me years ago. I'll set it up and search for the baby's broken hand (because I always hope I'll find it). I'll remember the phrase "Christ has no hands but mine". Once again, I'll sit before that baby in the manger and offer Him my hands to use as He will, and it will all be about Christmas.

This Christmas season, we have the opportunity to choose how we will honor God. Will we embrace only the glitter and glitz of December and call it Christmas or will we choose the Child who rested in the Manger on His way to the Cross? 

The choice has greater consequences than we know, so choose well.

Choose Christ. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In case you missed any of the past week's posts, here are the links: Grateful Heart: Family, Beginning the Advent Journey, Finding Christmas: The Best Advent of All, Finding Christmas: Something Better than Stuff, Finding Christmas: Setting a Goal, Finding Christmas: When Life is Less than Perfect, and Finding Christmas: Clear Vision.

The most read post of the last week: Grateful Heart: Family.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#Advent #keepChristinChristmas #MerryChristmas #JesusChrist #choice
photo courtesy of freeimages.com

The One thing we should fear

"I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him! (Luke 12:4-5 NASB)

"Don't be afraid," Jesus was saying. (We looked at this in yesterday's post. You can see it here.) Even if someone threatens to kill you, even if they do kill you, I've got this, He told his disciples. Being killed is not the worst thing that could happen. Going to hell is the worst thing. Everything else pales in comparison.

I don't have to be afraid, and neither do you. There is only one thing we should fear, Jesus told His disciples. Fear God, who has the final say about our eternal destiny. He is omnipotent and He makes the rules about who spends eternity with Him and who does not. 

The word translated as fear is phobos and indicates a reverential fear. According to Vine's, this is "not a mere 'fear' of His power and righteous retribution, but a wholesome dread of displeasing Him." This kind of fear, it says, should "inspire a constant carefulness" in the way we act, both toward God and toward our fellow man.

We serve a God of grace and love and mercy, all of which He offers willingly to us. We can have His grace, love, and mercy in abundance. BUT. We will have them on His terms. 

As parents, we make rules for our family and expect them to be followed. When rules are broken, there are consequences. The point of rules is not to be mean. The rules serve to create order, ensure safety, respect authority, and make an environment conducive to the expression of love and joy. The rules, when followed, bring peace.

The One who is Creator and Sustainer of the Universe has also made rules for those of us who live here. He expects us to follow them. The point is not to be mean. Like the rules in my home, they are designed to create order, ensure safety, respect authority, and make an environment conducive to love and joy. The rules make a peaceful place to live.

The issue of eternity is pretty simple. We can choose heaven or we can choose hell. If we choose hell, we can do anything we want. It won't matter what we do; there will always be a place waiting for us in hell. If we choose heaven, that choice comes with a caveat. Choosing heaven means choosing God. It means we try to do things His way. 

Love as He loved. 
Give as He gave. 
Serve as He served.

There is one thing for certain. We will choose. Whether we intend to or not, we will make a choice about our eternal destiny by the life we live and the One we serve (or don't serve). What kind of choice are you making with your life?

~~~~~~~

He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. (Psalms 103:10-11 NASB)

Our Father, You have not given us what we deserve and we thank you. Your lovingkindness toward those who fear, respect, honor You is too great to measure, and we thank You. Give us a dread of displeasing You and a constant carefulness in how we live. Give us a heart that fears You so that we can love, give, serve as You have loved, given, and served us.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

Choosing the Light

“No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.” (Luke 11:33-36 NIV)

In this passage, Jesus refers metaphorically to the "eye"as the lamp of our body, through which the light is received. When our eye is healthy, the light can come in unimpaired and our body is filled with light. When our eyes are damaged by cataracts, macular degeneration, glaucoma, or other diseases of the eye, the light that enters is reduced and the images we see are distorted. Rather than filling us with light, they can, in a way, fill us with darkness because the light is not allowed to enter.

This principle has become extremely clear to me because of my neighbor, who has a chronic problem with double vision. To hammer a nail, he pounds repeatedly in the general direction of the nail, hoping to hit it occasionally and thereby drive the nail into the board. It is extremely inefficient and fraught with difficulty. Very few nails are successfully hammered into place.

When I have clarity of vision in my spiritual eyes, the light of truth can enter unimpaired and fill me. Just as having light in a room allows me to move about freely, so the light in my life also allows me to move in freedom as I live the life Christ expected me to live. 

"What is the sign that God expects from us for the evidencing of our faith?" Matthew Henry asked. His answer, "The serious practice of that religion which we profess to believe, and a readiness to entertain (or embrace) all divine truths when brought to us in their proper evidence." 

God expects me to live out the faith I claim and to embrace His truth when it is revealed to me. I am to live like I say I believe if I am to please God and demonstrate His grace and mercy to the world. Obedience is not optional. 

That living requires "clear eyes" that are not clouded or darkened by the distortion sin causes. It requires that I allow the light of Christ to fill me. Imagine for a moment having a life that is filled with light, no darkness at all. 

Selah. Pause and consider.

If I embrace the truth I know, rejecting the sin I prefer, I can be a shining example of God's grace to those around me, much like a lamp shining in a darkened room. I can be, if I choose to be.

Therein is the problem. CHOICE. Will I choose light or darkness? Will you choose light or darkness? We can't have both. If you and I are to live as those who have been redeemed, we must choose the light, allow it to fill us, and live accordingly. We cannot continue to reserve even a tiny bit of darkness for our own pleasure. 

Just as Joshua told the Israelites as they stood on the brink of the promised land. There is a choice to be made, and it changes everything.

If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:15 NASB)

Teach Us to Pray, part 32: The Keys to the Kingdom of God

And He said to them, "When you pray, say: 'Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. 'Give us each day our daily bread. 'And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.'" (Luke 11:2-4 NASB)

We are currently studying the Model Prayer of Jesus and parsing the phrase "Your Kingdom come". Yesterday, we looked at how we receive the Kingdom of God in the form of His word and the effect it has on our lives. Today, we are exploring the "keys of the Kingdom". There are two passages of particular note and I have included them here.

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven." (Matthew 16:19 NASB)

And He said to them, "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. [ But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting." ] (Matthew 17:20-21 NASB)

In the passage in Matthew 16, Jesus had just asked the disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" and Peter had responded with that declaration of faith and truth, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God." Jesus commended his faith and promised Peter the "keys of the kingdom". That promise has made its way into the vernacular with the image of the apostle Peter standing at the pearly gates with a huge set of keys, deciding who can enter and who cannot, but that was not what Jesus intended at all. 

Instead, the word used here is kleis and is used metaphorically to indicate power and authority, specifically the power and authority to help people gain knowledge. On the day of Pentecost, Peter stood and spoke in such a way that thousands came to faith in Christ. He metaphorically opened the door to faith for them. What we forget about that day is that, after the ascension of Christ, Peter and the other disciples, along with quite a few believers, had spent weeks together in continuous prayer and worship. His power and authority flowed out of the time he had spent in prayer and fasting. His spiritual knowledge was the expected outcome of his discipline.

The passage in Matthew 17 followed the transfiguration. Jesus and the disciples who had accompanied Him to the mount of transfiguration returned to find the other disciples unsuccessfully trying to heal/cast out a demon from a boy. After Jesus healed the child, He told them that they could not heal him because of the "littleness of your faith" and also said that some things could only come out by prayer and fasting. 

How does all this relate to the keys of heaven? Matthew Henry says that the keys of the kingdom of heaven are knowledge and discipline. He related this discipline to the admitting of people into the church and disciplining sinners, and he may be absolutely correct, but I am inclined to believe that, because of his faith, Peter received the keys of knowledge and discipline so that he was able to share the gospel in a clear and concise way (knowledge), with the result that many people came to Christ through his preaching. 

Peter also had knowledge from the Holy Spirit that allowed him to know what God would have him do in healing those who were sick and performing miracles. That knowledge came from the discipline of time spent in prayer and fasting. He "loosed" people from disease and the bondage of sin and did incredible miracles in the name of Christ. His preaching and teaching "bound" them to Christ. (Of course it was the Holy Spirit working through Peter and not Peter himself doing the loosing and binding.)

The amazing thing is that you and I have been granted this same Holy Spirit that Christ gave to Peter and the other disciples. We, too, can have the faith of a mustard seed. We, too, can have the keys of knowledge and discipline, if we will. 

This binding and loosing, then, comes about only because of the permission of Jesus and the knowledge that His Spirit gives. When we spend time in prayer and when we fast, we gain insight and power. We gain important keys that help us to "lock and unlock", to "loose and bind". What does that mean to the way that we pray? I generally think that those for whom I pray (and I myself) need to be loosed from the power of Satan and that they (and I) need to be bound to the mind, heart, and will of Christ. Jesus told Peter that he would give him that authority and implied that the church would be built on the same faith that Peter had. We, too, can have power and authority, if we will. 

I don't have the power and authority of Peter, though, and you probably don't either. It grieves me to say that, but grieves me even more to realize that the reason I don't have it is not that Christ is not willing to grant me power and authority, but that I am not willing to sacrifice as Peter sacrificed to have it. Peter walked away from his business and spent his life preaching and teaching for Christ. He endured physical hardship, beatings, imprisonment, the scorn of his fellow man, and persecution that ended in a martyr's death. He did it all willingly and counted it as joy to suffer for his Lord. Peter held tight to Jesus and kept a very light hold on the things of this world.

If I lack the power of Peter, it is because I want the things of this world more than the power and authority, the knowledge and discipline that Jesus promised. I read those words, shudder at the truth of them, and recognize that it is truly pathetic. Why would I prefer comfort over the incredible delight of following Christ, even when it is hard, knowing that my eternal reward in heaven will be more than adequate recompense? This should not be.

I know that my Redeemer lives and reigns and is returning. I know that there will be a day of accountability for all the choices I have made, including my choices for or against faithfulness, boldness, and obedience. I know, yet my life often says different. My choices suggest that I doubt that I will answer for doing nothing while my brothers and sisters in Christ suffer severe persecution and death. My life implies that I do not expect to answer for doing nothing when the people Christ loves are hungry, cold, and losing their homes, their children, their way of life, all because of their faith. 

While I sit idly by and do so little, people suffer, die, enter eternity without Christ. One day, I will answer for it. One day, we will all answer for it. Time is short, and we must decide. Will we live for Christ or not? If, then, we choose to live for Christ, let us really do it. Let us embrace the Cross, embrace the discipline so that we might receive the power, the authority, the knowledge that brings transformation - first to us, and then to those whom Christ would call to Himself. 

We have a choice to make, so let's make it. Let us live like we believe. 

Start now, and keep on until Jesus calls us home. 

A visit at Martha' House, part 16: The good share

But the Lord answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:41-42 NASB)

Jesus has such lovely manners! He could have slammed Martha with condemnation for her manner of address, her irritation, her attitude toward her sister, but He did none of those. Instead, he talked about the good choice Mary had made, and did it without really mentioning Martha's specific choice. 

Mary, he said, had chosen the "good part", and that is the part I want to choose, as well. The word translated here as "good" is agathos and it is used to indicate good or useful. The word translated as "part" is meris and means "a part of the whole". Vine's describes the word as "a share, as of an inheritance". Putting the two words together, we find that agathos meris indicates the "best part" or the "best share of the inheritance". Thayer translates the two words together as a phrase meaning "the good part, which insures salvation to him who chooses it". Mary's choice gave her something very valuable, didn't it?

Of all the things the two women could have chosen that day, all the parts of the visit, Mary chose the one part that would give her salvation from the consequences of her sin and eternal life, as well. Mary's choice is even more appealing when we realize what Martha's choice netted for her. At the end of all her busyness, she probably had a clean house and a big meal, as well as an angry, frustrated heart and a very grumpy attitude, but no time spent with Jesus, no peace, no joy. This dichotomy of choice is true in my own life, as well. When I choose to spend time with Jesus, I find peace and joy in His presence, as well as direction for my day. When I choose the way of Martha, I find that same grumpy attitude that she found. Being busy makes the day go faster, and that sometimes seems like a good thing to me. Being busy and grumpy, however, is not. 

What I want to do, what I must do, is choose the path of Mary, who made time with her Lord the priority of her life, above all others, for I want what Mary gained. Dear ones, you, too, have a choice to make. Will you choose the path of Mary? Will you choose the path that leads to eternal life, to joy and peace? 

"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matthew 7:13-14 NASB)

Hear the words of Jesus. The wide, broad gate looks easier and more sensible, He said, but it is the way of the world, and leads only to destruction. It is that narrow gate, the road less traveled, that Mary chose, and it is the one that, though narrow and more difficult, you and I must choose, as well, for it is the path that leads to eternal life.

{There is one more phrase in this section that is so beautiful I'm saving it for tomorrow, so be sure to check back.}

A visit at Martha's House, part 15: The Choice

But the Lord answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:41-42 NASB)

We turn now to Mary, the sister whose choice was commended by Christ. The warmth I feel toward Mary is not because I disdain housework, nor that I would not want to prepare for guests or to help my sister. (Actually, I like a clean house, enjoy having guests, and have the greatest sister in the world.) What I love about this story is that Mary made one choice to do what she most wanted, and Jesus commended her for that choice. Oh, if the choices I make could always receive the commendation of Christ, what a glorious life it would be! 

Perhaps, by looking at Mary's choosing, you and I can learn something important about our own choosing. The word translated here as "chosen" is eklegomai and literally means "to choose for oneself". This choosing of Mary's was not a rejecting of anything. Her choice was not as a result of rejecting Martha nor of rejecting housework or meal preparations. When Jesus arrived at the door of Martha's home, the two sisters had many options that included housework, meal preparations, running next door to tell everyone that Jesus was there, and turning Him away to protect themselves from those officials who wanted to destroy Him. They both had the choice to sit at the feet of Jesus, honor Him with their presence, and soak in every word, as well. Both sisters made their choices, but only one found peace and contentment there. Only one was commended for her choice by Christ.

Just as you and I must do, every day of our lives, the two sisters quickly surveyed multiple options and made their choice. Mary chose to revel in the presence of Jesus and, when you and I make that same choice, we can find the same peace and contentment she found. In fact, the choice to be busy or sit at the feet of Jesus is one I have to make every day, often multiple times a day. Sometimes, though I hate to admit it, I choose the way of Martha. As you might imagine, when I choose the way of Martha, I end up with the results of Martha, too, feeling put upon and chastised. 

It is only when I choose the way of Mary, reveling in the presence and words of our Lord, that I find the joy and commendation of Christ, and you, too, can have that same joy, that same commendation. Mary did what faithful men and women have done for centuries. Like Joshua before her, she chose to serve the Lord with her presence and gained His peace. The wonderful news is that you and I can walk in their footsteps, choose their path, and have those same results.  

Framed and hanging in a prominent position on my wall, this verse is one I see every day. This choice is one I must make on a daily basis, and one you must make, as well. Let us join Joshua, Mary, and all those before us who understood the truth of these words.

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15 KJV)

If I want the commendation of Christ for the choice I make, that choice can only be Him above all others. Today, I choose Him. What choice will you make?