Saturday April 26, 2014

Posted on April 25, 2014 by Don Schmidt

Ishmael and Isaac  – Which one is the child of promise?

When are two sons, not two sons? Answer: God’s view of Abraham’s offspring – Ishmael and Isaac.  While both boys had Abraham as their father, only one was the child of promise.

Genesis 17:3-6 Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations.  No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.  I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.

Genesis 17:18-21 And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!”  Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.  And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation.  But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.”

Genesis 22:2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”

Genesis 22:16-18  and said, “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

Hebrews 11:17-18 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.

Galatians 3:8-9 The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”  So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

Galatians 3:26-29 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Galatians 4:28 Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise.

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Friday April 25, 2014

Posted on April 25, 2014 by Don Schmidt

Luke 5:11  So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

Luke 9:57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

This morning I was thinking of the decision made to follow Jesus and I thought of this well-known hymn. I didn’t know that it came from India.  The story behind it is truly moving.  Think of missionaries in a region of India risking their lives among violent people groups to share the story of Jesus.  This song describes what happens to one family when they decide to follow Jesus.

Here is a 5 minute YouTube that includes both the story and the song:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALP9f4QVIoA&feature=related

I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.

Though I may wonder, I still will follow;
Though I may wonder, I still will follow;
Though I may wonder, I still will follow;
No turning back, no turning back.

The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
No turning back, no turning back.

Though none go with me, still I will follow;
Though none go with me, still I will follow;
Though none go with me, still I will follow;
No turning back, no turning back.

Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
No turning back, no turning back.

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Thursday April 24, 2014

Posted on April 23, 2014 by Don Schmidt

Luke 5:10b-11  Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

Picture yourself a fisherman.  That is your livelihood.  You and your partners have just spent the entire night fishing and come up empty.  You’re on shore washing your nets when this new friend, a carpenter by background who is doing some amazing things comes up with a crowd around him listening to him teaching.

He sees two boats at water’s edge and gets into one of them – yours – and asks you to push it out a bit.  He then sits down and teaches from the boat.  When he finishes speaking (to the crowd) he says to you, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”  I wonder what goes through your mind at that moment; maybe something like, “Yea – right!”

Maybe you roll your eyes, but who he is gets the better of you – although you do let him know the facts of the situation.  “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.

Maybe you’re thinking that he should stick to what he knows.  Even so, you go along with it.  All of a sudden you and your companions catch such a large number of fish that the nets begin to break.  You signal your partners in the other boat to come and help, and they come and both boats are filled so full of fish that they began to sink.

To say everyone is astonished is an understatement!  But this strikes you in a unique way.  This is a miracle and it involved you.  You’re struck by your own unworthiness to be in the presence of something divine.  You fall at his knees and say, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”

But instead of listening to you, he says something far more profound than what you’ve just experienced!  These words come from his mouth addressed to you, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.” The group of you that hear this, pull your boats up on shore, leave everything and follow him.

The marvelous thing about this story is that Jesus is inserting himself into the everyday lives and situations of his followers today – just as he did then.  He will do something to get our attention – causing us to turn aside and focus upon him.

We might not understand everything that is going on but we know it is Him.  Then he calls us to be fishers of men – just as he did with them by the shore.  And we get to follow Jesus just as they did into the callings he has for us.

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Wednesday April 23, 2014

Posted on April 23, 2014 by Don Schmidt

Colossians 3:13  Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Do we understand that forgiving someone is a simple decision of our will?  Better still is the fact that once done, once we forgive someone, it cannot be undone – no matter how upset we are or want to take it back.  It’s done; a fait accompli!

Think of cracking open a raw egg.  It is a decision of our will and once done it can’t be undone.  No matter how we might want to take it back, we can’t put the egg back in the shell.  Remember Humpty Dumpty, the egg that sat on the wall and had a great fall?  “…All the King’s horses, and all the King’s men – couldn’t put Humpty together again.”

This is beyond good news – it’s great news!  Unforgiveness is to be avoided like the plague.  It’s been described as a person putting arsenic in their own body to hurt someone else.  Unforgiveness is avoided by forgiving – particularly by making the practice of forgiving others into a daily habit pattern.

But what if we don’t feel forgiving?  And what about all the other ‘stuff’ that comes with situations where the need to forgive occurs?  Stuff like anger, resentment, hurt, disappointment, frustration, desire to get even (to name a few) that readily accompany such situations.  Fortunately forgiveness isn’t subject to us feeling like it.

If we are out walking and have an umbrella and suddenly it starts pouring, no matter what is going on, we immediately put up the umbrella – it’s second nature.  It keeps us from getting wet!  When hurts and disappointments come, immediately forgive – just like putting up an umbrella.  It keeps unforgiveness away and allows God’s grace to have unrestricted flow to enable us to handle all the ‘stuff’ in the situation redemptively.

Immediately forgiving others enables us to get our focus off them and our own hurt.  We shift our focus to the Lord.  He is the one we turn to – to help us with all of the accompanying emotions and difficulties.  If we recognize that our responses our sinful, we can confess that and receive forgiveness.  He, and his grace and mercy are at the center of our response.

It’s amazing how readily forgiving those who hurt us enables us to pray redemptively for them.  The healing process proceeds more freely.  Our motivation can become one of glorifying the Lord in the situation.   What a gift being able to readily forgive is!

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Tuesday April 22, 2014

Posted on April 21, 2014 by Don Schmidt

1 John 2:16  Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him.  (MSG)

This morning I was reminded of a wonderful little book that I read years ago – one that has had a lasting impact on my life.  Its title is My Heart, Christ’s Home by Robert Boyd Munger.  What a treasure this is!  It tells the story of a young man who invites Jesus into his life.  The storyline presented in the book is one of Jesus coming to live in his house (heart) with him.

I recall in the story Jesus going through the rooms (of his heart) one by one over the passing days and dealing with the things he found there.  The young man was thrilled.   Remember when we met the Lord we experienced a marvelous house cleaning too.  It was like Jesus had a crew that just went through and got rid of all kinds of junk.  The cleansing and refreshing were amazing.  But then time passes – and the things of this world seep back in.

Picture your heart having a library and Jesus going in and picking up the very books or magazines that you are embarrassed for him to see.  Imagine him going into your entertainment center and out of hundreds of movies he just pulls one off the shelf and it’s not one that you would want to sit down and watch with him.

I remember seeing a ‘great’ movie in the year following my becoming a Christian.  I was home from college at the time and told my mom about it.  She said she would like to see it too.  Well my mom loved the Lord and to this day I can remember her repeated reactions to the little ‘negatives’ in that movie.  I was mortified as I recognized the stuff I had missed.  We got up and left in the middle of it.

I think the thing that is most painful in the book is when the young man becomes busy – too busy – to spend time with the Lord.  Here Jesus is waiting for him each day, to spend time together, and the things of the young man’s life just don’t leave him the time to do it.  As he goes rushing out the door, he has pangs of regret and the intention to make it right – but somehow the days and weeks just seem to go by.  May we recognize just how easily the world can seep into our lives and isolate us from our Lord.

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Sunday April 20, 2014 – Easter

Posted on April 19, 2014 by Don Schmidt

Luke 24:30-32  30When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

This incident of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus encountering Jesus is one of the more wonderful ones in the Bible.  They were downcast – even though they were aware that some of the women had been to the tomb and had a vision of angels telling them that Jesus was alive. They didn’t understand what had happened or why.

They had such hope in Jesus and it was snatched away from them in such an incredibly vicious way.  Then as they were walking, something unusual happened to them.  Jesus himself came along and walked with them, but they were kept from recognizing him.  The scriptures are clear that understanding of the unfolding events of Jesus’ suffering and death were hidden from the disciples whenever Jesus spoke about it prior to his death.  It was only afterward that Jesus opened their minds so they could understand the scriptures.

So Jesus joined them as they walked along, and said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

Then, since it was nearly evening, they stopped for the night and strongly urged this man walking with them to stop and stay with them.  It’s apparent that they were deeply moved by what he had said to them, even though they didn’t know who he was.  Because they insisted that he stay with them, they experienced the wonder of God in having their eyes opened to see this man was Jesus – raised from the dead.

Isn’t it fascinating that God would have Jesus appear to these two men but prevent them from recognizing him?  It was important for them to listen to the message of this stranger and understand the “why” of what happened to Jesus.  The events that happened to him were foretold in Scripture and they needed to understand it – rather than simply see Jesus and get excited.  When God opened their eyes to recognize Jesus, they understood!  The life, death and resurrection of Jesus were fulfillment of God’s purpose.

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Saturday April 19, 2014 – Holy Saturday

Posted on April 19, 2014 by Don Schmidt

Matthew 5:16  In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Remembering Johnny Hart:  Johnny Hart was a Christian and the cartoonist who created the comic strip “B.C.”  He passed away at his drawing board 7 years ago on Holy Saturday – or as he called it, “kick butt Saturday”  in view of Christ’s victory over the underworld.  While Johnny was alive B.C. appeared in 1300 newspapers with 100 million readers.  It was considered the most widely read strip in the world.

Because Johnny periodically included his Christian faith in the strip, some newspapers censored them.  One of the B.C. cartoons the LA Times first refused to run was his Palm Sunday 1996 strip featuring the famous character Wiley sitting against a tree, tablet in hand, writing a poem entitled “The Suffering Prince.” Here’s the poem:

Picture yourself tied to a tree,
condemned of the sins of eternity.
Then picture a spear, parting the air,
seeking your heart to cut your despair.
Suddenly—a knight, in armor of white,
stands in the gap betwixt you and its flight,
And shedding his ‘armor of God’ for you—
bears the lance that runs him through.
His heart has been pierced that yours may beat,
and the blood of his corpse washes your feet.
Picture yourself in raiment white,
cleansed by the blood of the lifeless knight.
Never to mourn,
the prince who was downed,
For he is not lost! It is you who are found. 

Over the years I have been blessed by so many of his strips.  Holy Saturday is the anniversary of his passing.  How fitting for him to meet Jesus on such a special day!

Here is a link to one of Johnny’s Good Friday cartoons where he addresses the question of why call Friday “Good”:  http://thezagrodnys.com/2012/04/05/good-friday-cartoon-bc/

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Friday April 18, 2014 – Good Friday

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Don Schmidt

Luke 22:61-62  The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter.  Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.”  62And he went outside and wept bitterly.

I cannot imagine the pain that Peter experienced after he denied Jesus the third time and the rooster crowed – and he saw Jesus look right at him.  Their eyes met!  Peter knew – that Jesus knew that it had happened just as Jesus had said it would. Then Peter went outside and wept bitterly.  It was bad enough that Jesus had told him a few hours earlier that it would happen; but to have Jesus witness it and to look right at him at that very moment is pain and a sense of failure beyond imagining.

Peter had some other difficult moments.  When he walked on water he sank.  When he rebuked Jesus for talking about his coming suffering and death, Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan!”  In the garden when Jesus was being arrested, Peter drew his sword and cut off Malchus’ ear, earning a rebuke from Jesus.

I find it so encouraging that in spite of these events, Jesus didn’t reject Peter and send him packing!  Jesus chose him because he believed in him.  When Jesus spoke to him of the denials, he also said, “And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”  After Jesus’ resurrection, the angel told the women who had come to the tomb, “But go, tell his disciples and Peter.”  Then Jesus appeared separately to Peter.  Think of what each of these would have meant to Peter as he struggled with his actions of denying his beloved Lord.

Peter was a mixture, just like you and me – lots of potential and lots of things to work on.  In spite of difficulties noted above, Peter was the one who did walk on water. He was the disciple who first acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God.  He spoke for all the disciples to the crowd in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. He was rescued from prison by an angel.  He was also the one who received the vision from God regarding the gentiles who then received the gospel at Cornelius’ house.  Peter was one of God’s chosen servants who never gave up and God used him mightily.  What an example he is for us!

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Thursday April 17, 2014

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Don Schmidt

Proverbs 11:5  The righteousness of the blameless makes a straight way for them.

The Lord wants a man to be a farmer so He gives him a farm.  He provides him all the tools, equipment, seed, fertilizer and instructs him how to do everything.  The Lord also provides him with willingness, ability, health, strength, sunlight and rain.  He even expresses the desire to assist him in everything.  When the man is obedient and he produces a wonderful crop, whose crop is it?

The crop provides food, money, great blessing and more opportunities. The man’s actions produced it, so in one sense it is his.  Even the Lord considers it the man’s as He gave it to him.  But without the Lord choosing him and giving him the opportunity, he would have nothing.  The man has a choice to make – and he will make a choice.

If the man claims the crop as his own, pride is at work.  His primary view is there would be no crop without his hard work and obedience to the Lord; his attitude is one of “it is mine”.

On the other hand, the man recognizes the goodness of God and has a heart filled with gratitude for the great blessing from the Lord.  Even though he worked hard, he knows he would have nothing without the Lord’s generosity and blessing.  His view is one of humility – everything that He has belongs to the Lord.  He is merely a steward of it.  His concern is how to use the blessing in a way that pleases the Lord and is an instrument of blessing to others.  It is all His!

The fascinating thing is the Lord considers the crop, the farm, everything to be his – the man’s.  The Lord gave it to him.  The issue is the attitude of the man: pride or humility.  Likewise, when we consider the righteousness associated with the obedient and righteous acts that we do, we have a choice to make.  Is the righteousness our own?  Or is it His?

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Tuesday April 15, 2014

Posted on April 14, 2014 by Don Schmidt

Exodus 19:18 Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently,

Can you imagine the excitement, wonder, awe and fear that we Christians would experience if God manifested his presence like this before us?  This is our God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Holy One of Israel.  We have His Spirit within us and we belong to Him.

This verse describes what the Israelites saw and experienced.  After spending their lives as slaves in Egypt, God rescued them miraculously.  They were witnesses to the supernatural plagues that He sent upon Egypt.  They experienced His presence daily in the cloud and pillar of fire by night.  They experienced the parting of the Red Sea and walking through it.  They knew that God considered them His.

The experience of the Israelites who saw and heard this on Mt. Sinai was dominated by fear.  In response, Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.” (Ex 20:20).

There is a strong message in this scene for us – as Christians today.  This is our God and He hasn’t changed.   On the one hand He can be frightening beyond imagining.  On the other, He tells us not to be afraid.  He tests us, far more than we think He does.  We experience His incredible love through Jesus yet He offers us the opportunity to fear Him in order to keep us from sinning.  I think of the Apostle John falling down as though dead upon seeing Jesus in Revelation 1:17.  Jesus then put his hand upon John and said, “Do not be afraid.”

The fear of the Lord must be a vital part of our lives.  It is one of the most important gifts that He has given us. It is not just awe and respect – it involves recognizing God for who He is.  It is not in conflict or at odds with the love of God that we have experienced in Christ Jesus.  It is the opposite side of the same coin.

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