Feb 29 - "What He Came to Do"

Mark 1:32-45 --- “That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, ‘Everyone is searching for you.’ He answered, ‘Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.’ And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.”

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Did you have an opportunity yesterday...last week...even today...to tell someone the Good News? When presented with the chance to encourage, uplift or perhaps change the track of someone’s life by sharing a verse or story from the Bible, did you seize the moment?

I’ll admit, there are quite a few, if not countless times, when I know this opportunity has been presented to me and I did not take advantage of it. Sitting on an airplane, standing in line at the grocery, talking to a friend...there are so many instances when someone gives me the perfect opening to share. But, in these times I so often shrink back into the persona which the world pushes me. I do not witness to God and the gift of Jesus Christ our Savior.

If the Gospels had only focused on Christ’s miracles, He might have been resigned to history as nothing more than a magician or an expert physician. His death on the cross would have been seen only as a punishment for upsetting the status quo of ancient Judea. But what do we see Jesus saying here to His disciples? He says, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” He is basically telling us that, although His miracles are a part of His time with us, to show us the power of faith, His main work, His Mission was to spread the Good News.

When we look to the Bible and really examine what the early followers of Christ are doing throughout the book of Acts and all of Paul’s letters, as well as the remaining scripture up to the book of Revelation, what do we see? We see, over and over again, people proclaiming the Word, speaking about Jesus Christ and the power of His sacrifice for you and me.

So remember, faithful readers, that although we are called to feed the hungry, help the poor, clothe the naked and visit those in prison, we are primarily called to spread the Word. Do you have the opportunity to do it today, tomorrow...right now? Know that Jesus is standing beside you, giving you the strength to continue the work He started. Share your faith with love and abundance; tell your story. Be bold!

Feb 28 - "A Different Standard"

1 Corinthians 1:25-29 -- “For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength. Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God.”

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As we make our way through the world over the course of our lives, we are told and shown all of the things we must be, in order to be “successful”. The world describes our theoretical success in terms such as “rich”, “smart”, “good looking”, “strong”, “in control”, “powerful”, “beautiful”...the list goes on and on. These standards can seem, at times, unachievable, causing us to do things and behave in ways which are far from our true selves.

But what if all of it were a lie? What if there is a different standard? The good news, brothers and sisters? There is.

Can you imagine what it would be like if a relationship with God, if being forgiven, if receiving His grace and mercy, required a certain level of wisdom, a defined set of acts and behavior or even physical strength? We would all be in a pretty big mess if that were the case. Fortunately, all we have to do is believe. Believe that God, in His perfect wisdom and strength, sent His Son to die for each of us so that we might be forgiven then, now and always, acknowledging our brokenness and accepting His beauty.

When we are broken and at are lowest, when we have missed the mark, God is there for us in all things and in all ways. When we call on Him, He picks us up, brushes us off and considers us as good as new. We can fail and fall to this point hundreds, even thousands of times and He will continue to love us and each time desire us to come back to Him. God does not keep count.

We are so fortunate that God uses imperfect people to accomplish His perfect will.

So, be comforted in the fact that God does not require us to be wise; He does not require us to be strong; He does not require us to be above all things. God is all of these things for us whenever we need them. When we empty ourselves of the things the world tells us we should be, for each of us: He is wise; He is strong; He is above all.

Feb 27 - "God's Whisper"

1 Kings 19:11-12 --- “The Lord said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.” (a favorite verse)

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How does God speak to you? Have you heard His message for you? Are you searching for an answer to a prayer you have made, seeking discernment?

In these verses from the first book of Kings, we see Elijah going out to hear the word of God. Elijah has prayed for deliverance from those who are trying to kill him. As he waits for the Lord, chaos ensues around him. Winds, earthquakes, fire...primal and terrifying power is all around him. At first, I am sure Elijah must have thought one of these massive events was the Word of God.

Like Elijah, each of us sometimes looks for the wrong thing when searching for the purpose God has for us or the answer to our prayers. When praying for “a sign”, we sometimes expect God’s message for us to be flashing neon, in giant letters 200 feet high, stating, “HERE IS YOUR MESSAGE! DO THIS!”. But that is not always the way God speaks to us. Sometimes, in the cacophony of our daily lives, His messages to us can be drowned out. When we seek His Word, the guidance God offers to us can be quietly sitting right under our noses, but we cannot, will not or do not experience it.

Almost every time I am with my Grandma Bonnie, at some point in the conversation or our time together, she reminds me of what I assume to be one of her favorite Bible verses: “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10). Usually, when we are together, it is a time of celebration with lots of family around. Children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are running around the house, playing talking and generally having a good time. As she has progressed in age, she spends more time sitting quietly while we are with her. She is often silently watching the things going on around her. We can tend to think this is because of her inability to communicate outwardly as effectively as she one did. Maybe she is just choosing to Be Still.

So, dear friends, do not always look for God’s Word in the power and might of a rushing wind or violent storm. Seek him in the quiet moments. Be still. Listen. Make sure you don’t miss His gentle whisper to you.

Feb 6 - "A Prayer for You and Me"

John 17:20-26 --- “Jesus prayed, ‘I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.’ ”

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Did you know that Jesus prayed for you? While sitting at the Passover meal with His friends, all of the world was beginning to close in upon Him. He had been betrayed by one who was closest to Him. Soldiers were coming to arrest Him, beat Him, put Him to death. With all of this going on, He still took the time to pray for you.

This part of John’s Gospel tells us of Jesus’ final time with the Disciples. There is so much happening from the beginning of chapter 13, when He first settles in with His friends, commencing His final time with them as a free man by washing their feet. It’s as if there is a mad rush for Him to pray and tell the Disciples as many things as possible before He is taken away. The sheer amount of blessed words which comes during these chapters is truly awesome.

Within all of these words, I have always been struck by one very small part of this scripture. When Jesus begins this part of His prayers, He makes special mention of you and me by saying, “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one.” It is a brief reference, but its power and purpose is infinite. By saying this, Christ makes a point not just to pray and care for the needs of His friends who are with Him at this point, but for all of those who will ever born into the world and believe in Him, forever.

He prayed for you and for me. Christ. The Son of God who was with God in the beginning and with whom God formed the universe and all that is in it, took the small moment to make sure He captured you and me into His care. And though all words have power, the ones spoken by our Savior have the infinite power of Heaven behind them.

We should take great comfort in knowing that He spoke these words. By doing this, He transferred immense protection and power to us who believe in Him. We are powerful in Him because He spoke the words which made this so. But, we should also be humbled that the Lamb of God sweetly and simply spoke of us so lovingly.

When we are in the time of trial, when the world is crashing in around us during tough times, do we take the time to remember others? Do we pray for those in need...probably in greater need than any one of you who is reading these words at this moment...when we are also in great need? It is hard to do. But, we have a wonderful and perfect example in Jesus, who while at the time near to His own torture and death, having been betrayed, took the time to pray for you and me.

So, stand strong knowing that Jesus prayed for you. Be assured that you possess amazing power to give your gifts out to the world, if you but only recognize that the power exists because of this prayer. But also remember, that even in our own times of struggle, we need to pray for others whose needs are greater, looking to the example given so beautifully and simply to us by Jesus.

Feb 25 - "Come Rain or Come Shine"

Philippians 4:11-13 --- “...for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

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How are you today? Right at this moment?

We all have times in our lives when we feel like things are going great. Things seem to be moving along really well in our family, faith, work and personal lives. We feel like we are “in the zone” of being happy and successful. I find it interesting that when we are having these times of plenty, we often forget to notice and rejoice in them, failing to fully live in these joyful moments.

However, we all have times when the world appears to be working against us at every turn. Economic pressure, fear of losing...or actually losing...your job; family strife; feeling like your faith has moved from a walk to a crawl. We sure do notice these times, don’t we? We share with others our struggles, fears, disappointments and tragedies. We can tend to complain incessantly about them.

Why is that? Why don’t we rejoice as openly in the good times in the same proportion we lament in our times of struggle?

Paul shares with us his secret for living fully with joy in the times of plenty and the times of scarcity; doing things through Christ. Although I consider Philippians 4:13 my “life verse”, I have never really thought about the doing things “through” Christ. We often use the words “in” or “with” when talking about how we call on Jesus and live our lives. But “through” Him...what does that mean?

When we do things through Christ, I think it is like having a “Christ Filter” (hope that’s not sacrilegious) on our thoughts, words and deeds. In some ways, this filter will cause us to restrict or rethink our actions, putting them in the context of “what would Jesus do?”. In other ways, it is a if Christ can give us super-powers, enabling us to accomplish things we never thought possible, only achieving them because of our faith in Him.

Regardless of whether we are in the good times and need to relish the moment...or in the bad times and need to see our way through...Christ is there for us. All we have to do is call on Him. The pastor Rick Warren talks about life’s ups and downs as a sort of railroad track, with both rails on which our journey occurs representing the good things and the bad things in our life at any given time. We must travel along both, and both are necessary to keep moving forward.

When you think about the things in this life you cherish most, did they come easy? Were they handed to you without cost, struggle or challenge? Likely not. We have to work for these things which bring us our greatest joys. Marriages struggle at times, and take work to restore. Children are difficult in different ways at their various ages, and require time and love to care for. For any of these situations, we need strength to persevere and move through them to our times of joy.

So, my dear friends, call on Christ. Have faith that you can do all things through Him who strengthens you. But just as importantly, remember to “Rejoice, again I say Rejoice!”. Are you having a great day? Are you living in a time of plenty? Is your life full of blessings on this day, even if there are some tough things going on too? Give thanks and rejoice for all of these things!

February 24 - “Seeing With Your Heart”

1 Samuel 16: 7 -- “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’"

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As I was growing up (aren’t I still?), I had, and fortunately still have, a living example of these words God said to Samuel: my Dad.

Over the course of my life, I can remember all different kinds of people coming to visit us at our home or meeting people at his workplace, at church or various community activities. To watch him interact with others is a true blessing. He lives the saying, “A stranger is just a friend I haven’t met yet”. There is an openness and genuine joy in his approach to others. How he became this way, I don’t know...maybe from the example of his own dad, my Grandpa Al. Regardless of why, I know my Dad lives this way because he genuinely wants to see and is able to see the value each person has.

When we see these kinds of examples in our lives, we have a choice on whether to follow them or not. I am fortunate to have this example and it gives me guidance on how to approach a new acquaintance. This is especially important in Prison Ministry, when the men with whom I serve meet a new group of friends at the county jail or state prison.

These men we meet, spend time and pray with, have become accustomed to, even before they were in prison (and especially in prison), being treated as worthless. The stories I hear from them range the gamut of experience, but almost all of them seem to have a common core: at some point, they never learned they were loved. The world around them treated them coldly, without regard for the true value they possessed. When treated this way long enough, even the most beautiful and loving person can become hardened, mean, bitter and cruel. The example my Dad gives me allows me to see past all of that and welcome each of them as a friend and brother in Christ, and they welcome me in the same way.

We are fortunate that God sees us for who we are as our deepest and truest self. Can you imagine how lost we would be if God decided who he loves by looking only at our daily actions, our thoughts or our outward appearance? We are so blessed that, regardless of the layers of dirt, hurt, lies and brokenness which can build up around our hearts over time, walls that our experiences in the world can cause us to build up, God sees the core of our being and loves us for the beautiful people each one of us is. He made us that way, in His image.

So, I encourage you, whenever you can, close your eyes and see with your heart. Recognize the value and beauty that each one of us can bring to each other; look to the example God has given us in seeing things, not as the world does, but as God does. When we do this, we will be amazed at the beauty and blessings all around us, which we could not see before, but were there the whole time!

Feb 23 - "The Lottery Prayer"

Romans 8:26 -- “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” (a favorite verse)

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What do you pray for?

If I am being honest, I know there have been countless times in my life when I have been praying for the wrong things. My prayers have been selfish, saying, “I want this...”; they have been harmful, saying, “Let this person get what they deserve...”; they have been foolish, saying, “God, if you do this, I promise to...”.

What if God gave us everything we specifically asked for, not taking into account the spirit behind our requests? As the Garth Brooks song goes; “I thank God, for unanswered prayers...”. If I had gotten my way every time, if God had given me specifically what I had been asking for, I’d probably be in a pretty rough spot right now.

I often think about the prayer, said all too often, when someone is scratching off that lottery ticket, or watching the numbers being pulled on the Powerball drawing; “Please God, let me win $100 million!! If I do, everything will be OK!!!” This sounds like such a selfish and silly prayer. But, haven’t we all, at one time or another, sent a similar petition to God?” If we think about it, there is probably a very good intention or a deeply seeded, genuine need behind even the lottery prayer.

When we come into this world and begin our lives, I believe our souls, which up to that point have been living in direct communion with God, become separate from God. Why do you think the first thing we do as a newborn baby is cry and scream?!? :-) We spend our whole lives, every waking and dreaming moment, trying to return to that communion. Our wants, desires, longings, prayers...whatever words you want to use...are focused on restoring that relationship.

When we pray the lottery prayer, in essence we are asking for security; a security that comes from knowing that we are protected, cared for and...at its core...loved. The wonderful news is that, even when we fumble in our words, when the “right” things don’t seem to come to mind or heart, God knows what we are trying to say. Our Heavenly Father knows what we need, even before we get on our knees, bow our heads and say the words. Is praying then important? Oh my goodness, yes. It is the opportunity for us to be back in communion with God. We can listen to ourselves, while God is listening to us, and learn that in our weakness, God is there; He is strong.

So, don’t worry about whether or not you are using the right words when you pray. Our minds can be feeble things at times and words can fail to explain what is truly in our hearts. Even our wordless groans of sorrow, our shouting out with joy, are heard by God and answered. The most important thing? Just pray.

Feb 22 - Ash Wednesday - The Joy of Sacrifice

Isaiah 58: 5-8 --- “Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.”

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Today we begin our journey through Lent. It is a time for each of us to look inward and search out God’s message while we together tread the path of Christ’s last days on earth as a man, before making His ultimate sacrifice for you.

Did you decide to give something up for Lent? Are you performing some sort of sacrifice during this holy season, to help remind you each day of the the season and of Christ’s sacrifice? If so, you may already be dreading the challenge of separating yourself from something you enjoy, even though it is temporary.

Isaiah’s words challenge us to live through our time of sacrifice, our Fast, in a way that does not bring attention to ourselves. In Isaiah’s prophecy from God, he also challenged the ancient Hebrews, as he does to us today, to make our sacrifice something external. Our sacrifice should not be a thing in and of itself through which we only benefit ourselves. He compels us to action.

What is God calling you to do? When you pray for guidance, asking Him to show you what He would have you do to serve and further His Kingdom, do you accept the Call with joy, with thanksgiving? Do you honor the answer to your prayer by moving boldly forward?

Accepting the Call...making the sacrifice...can feel very hard. It can be scary. When I chose to accept God’s call for me to serve on ministry teams in the county jail and state prison, did I do it right away? I did not. It took me ten years to answer the Call. What did I gain by waiting? The better question: what did I lose? In waiting to answer God’s call to me, I denied myself the joy, peace and love that I feel each time I step into jail or prison to share in the fellowship of Christ with my incarcerated brothers.

So, I encourage you dear friends to heed the Call. Proceed with your fasting, your sacrifice, in the spirit of serving with happiness. Do not hang your head or appear beaten down. Smile. Let your light shine, even while in the struggle and challenge of your sacrifice. For in doing this, while we deny ourselves some small thing, we accept the abundant joy of God’s blessings.

Feb 21 - Prologue 2012

Brothers and Sisters - Here we are again.

As we enter the Holy Season of Lent together starting on Ash Wednesday tomorrow, I welcome you to join me on another journey through the Word. Many of you have traveled along with me the past three years as I shared thoughts each day, “giving something out” instead of “giving something up”, as is oft the Lenten tradition.

During Lent, I start each day with Morning Prayer, from the Book of Common Prayer, a part of which is a set of Bible verses. As I read the Word and meditate/pray on it, my mind starts to wander. Wispy tendrils of thought begin to coalesce into ideas, concepts and beliefs . When I step aside and allow the Holy Spirit to do its work, inspiration arrives.

I do not believe this ability to receive inspiration is unique to me in any way, but a gift offered and available to all who spend time in God’s Word and in communion with the Holy Spirit. I have merely been blessed with the realization that this gift is out there for all of us who chose to partake and drink deeply.

Some days, the particular bit of scripture for Morning Prayer does not move me, for whatever reason. Maybe its wisdom is beyond me; maybe it will mean something to me when my life has further seasoned 10, 30 or 50 years from now, being not yet ready for its message today. On those, days, I’ll pick a favorite. I have been on a One Year Bible reading plan for the past 270+ days (currently up to Isaiah and Philippians...plus halfway through round 2 of the Psalms and Proverbs) and have had LOTS of verses become my new favorites. I’ll identify those as such on the days when I write about them.

These meditations will be on my blog (http://scottdwilsonstuff.blogspot.com) which you can link to and sign up to follow, getting alerts when I post. I’ll also post a link to it on my Facebook page each day. Lastly, if you would like me to send the link via email daily, please let me know and I am happy to do it. I will do my best to have the postings on my blog early morning. For those days they come late, please bear with me.

So, dear friends and loved ones -- as well as those whom I have yet to meet and count as friends or come to love -- thank you for being a part of this walk. Knowing that you are out there reading, thinking praying and walking beside me each of the next 47 days, keeps me joyfully moving forward. I welcome your own thoughts, prayers and inspiration as we journey together.

Always with Christ and in Christ,

Scott