FOCUSED ON THE ONE TASK

Life is tough enough as it is. It’s even tougher when we’re headed in the wrong direction.

One of the incredible abilities of Jesus was to stay on target. His life never got off track. He had no money, no computers, no jets, no administrative assistants or staff, yet Jesus did what many of us fail to do. He kept His life on course.

As Jesus looked across the horizon of His future, He could see many targets. Many flags were flapping in the wind, each of which He could have pursued. He could have been a political revolutionary. He could have been a national leader. But in the end He chose to be a Savior and save souls.

Anyone near Christ for any length of time heard it from Jesus Himself. “The Son of Man came to find lost people and save them.” (Luke 19:10)  “The Son of Man did not come to be served. He came to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many people.” (Mark 10:45)

The heart of Christ was relentlessly focused on one task. The day He left the carpentry shop of Nazareth He had one ultimate aim -- the cross of Calvary. He was so focused that His final words were, “It is finished.” (John 19:30)

How could Jesus say He was finished? There were still the hungry to feed, the sick to heal, the untaught to instruct, and the unloved to love. How could He say He was finished? Simple. He had completed His designated task. His commission was fulfilled. The painter could set aside his brush, the sculptor lay down his chisel, the writer put down his pen. The job was done.

Wouldn’t you love to be able to say the same? Wouldn’t you love to look back on your life and know you had done what you were called to do?   

-- Max Lucado in “Just Like Jesus”

#6347

IN A SHELL

"God comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us." (2 Corinthians 1:4 NLT)

Gracious Father, You took the initiative to reach out to me -- even in my sin and selfishness -- in order to bring me into Your eternal kingdom, through the work of Christ. I cannot fathom such love! And yet, Father, I try to hoard Your grace! I put up walls of protection that I might keep hurt out and blessing in. I am like the clam that shuts itself up in its shell, afraid of threats from the outside. You call me to unshell myself and to partner with You in Your mission of love. Unshell me, Lord, that I, too, may reach out to a lonely, discouraged, and even hopeless world. In Jesus' name, amen. 

-- Max Lucado in “Outlive Your Life”

#6240

THE GOSPEL OF FORGIVENESS – Part 1 of 3

“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”  (John 3:17)

More than any other world religion, Christianity teaches, preaches, veritably shouts forgiveness. Yes, some of our preachers dwell too long on guilt, and consequently many see Christianity as primarily a religion of guilt. That is unfortunate, for a Christianity obsessed with guilt is no Christianity. Christianity is a faith whose central focus is not guilt and condemnation, but grace, redemption, healing, forgiveness, and mercy.

But the process of forgiveness begins with our awareness and understanding of sin, for if we are not aware of our sin, we go on living self-absorbed lives while hurting others. So the purpose of preaching and learning about sin is to open the door to healing…

God wants to relieve us of the burden that comes with a life of sin, and to set our feet back on the right path. That is precisely why Jesus came. His life and ministry are defined by forgiveness. It was a mission laid out for Him before He was born. He was still in the womb when the angel spoke to Joseph and said, “Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20-21)…

Jesus did as He taught. He forgave the tax collectors, prostitutes, and adulterers. At the Last Supper, He took the wine and said to His disciples, “Drink this cup, for it is My blood of the new covenant poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.” In this He offered Himself as an amends -- an atoning sacrifice -- for the sins of the world. Later, as He hung on the cross, Jesus demonstrated the ultimate in forgiveness, praying for those who were putting Him to death.

-- Adapted from “Forgiveness: Finding Peace Through Letting Go” by Adam Hamilton

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ON HIS WAY TO JERUSALEM

"The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem.  They took palm branches and went out to meet Him, shouting, 'Hosanna!  Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!  Blessed is the King of Israel!'"   (John 12:12-13)

Reflecting on the scene of Palm Sunday, we see a crowd gathered for a momentous occasion. Each person waved their palm branches, driven by unique motivations and desires. Political activists saw in Jesus the potential for revolution, believing His supernatural power could liberate them from Roman oppression. Others, consumed by personal grief, longed for His miraculous healing touch for their sick and dying loved ones. Some were merely curious onlookers, seeking entertainment in the spectacle, while true followers hoped He would establish an earthly kingdom.

Yet, amidst this multitude with varied agendas, Jesus stood alone in His understanding of the true purpose of His journey. He knew that His path led to the ultimate sacrifice -- He was heading to Jerusalem to die for humanity's redemption. Jesus had a mission, while everyone else had an agenda.

This contrast invites us to examine our own hearts and motives. Are we approaching Jesus with our own agendas, seeking what He can do for us? Or are we aligned with His mission, surrendering our will to His greater plan?

Take a moment to quiet your heart and seek alignment with Jesus' mission. May we not be swayed by personal desires but be steadfast in following Him, understanding that His purpose transcends our individual ambitions. In this coming Holy Week, let us remember His sacrifice and commit ourselves to His divine mission.

-- SOUND BITES Ministry, compiled from a variety of sources 

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ONE DAY AT ABOUT THREE IN THE AFTERNOON

“At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, ‘Cornelius!’ Cornelius stared at him in fear. ‘What is it, Lord?’ he asked.” (Acts 10:1-4 NIV)

Here's the context.  There was a Roman captain named Cornelius who gave generously to the poor and "prayed to God regularly."  That prayer habit kept him dialed into God's frequency and set the stage for this vision.  At this point, Christianity was a sect of Judaism, but this vision changes the course of Christianity because the gospel is opened up to the Gentiles.  Christianity crosses the Rubicon, and whosoever will may come!

The timing of the vision almost seems coincidental, doesn't it?  "One day at about three in the afternoon."  But that's what I love about it.  When you pray regularly, you never know when God will show up or speak up.  Today could be the day.  When you live in prayer mode, you live with holy anticipation.  You know what coincidences are providences.  Any moment can turn into a holy moment.  God can invade the reality of your life at three o'clock one afternoon and change everything. 

-- Mark Batterson in “The Circle Maker”

#5659

A JOURNEY TOWARD GOD

“Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.’”  (Luke 19:8-9 NIV)

When the Word became human, Jesus Christ lived the same relationship in a human mode and it is in this relationship that we are called to share. Like the Word, like Jesus in the flesh, we are invited to live our life here on earth as a journey toward God.

Throughout the Gospels there are two salient aspects of the identity of Jesus. He is from the Father, sent by God to accomplish a task. Secondly, the human journey of Jesus is one that leads back toward God. It is this movement back toward God that is opened to believers of all generations. In following Jesus, we are shown the way that leads toward the Father. Our life is not aimless; it has destination. We have not been left to wander in the desert; the Shepherd has come to seek what is lost and bring us home. 

-- Michael Casey in “Toward God” 

#5564

THE CHURCH

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."  (Luke 19:10 NIV)

In God's benevolent economy, the church… provides a place of solace, a hotbed of godly values, a stage for spirited worship, an organism of relationships, and all the bountiful benefits Christians enjoy. But the church isn't the church so that we Christians can experience those perks. The church is the church so that other people can meet Jesus Christ and be captured by the Spirit and be incorporated into the Kingdom for eternity. A church exists, like Jesus, "to seek and to save the lost." The church is not in the business of coddling the cozy but rather of finding the fallen, and will inconvenience itself in order to reach out. The church exists to do what Jesus valued -- and did, Himself.

-- James D. Berkley in a sermon at First Presbyterian Church in Bellevue, Washington


#4614

THE MIND OF CHRIST

“Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are themselves subject to no one else’s scrutiny. ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct Him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.”  (1 Corinthians 2:15-16 NRSV)

God is at work around us, and to accomplish this work God personally communicates His will to His people, inviting each church to join in His activity in specific ways. It is not for us to dream our own dreams of what we want to do for God. This is never the pattern in the Scriptures. God already knows what He is purposing to do through those He calls to Himself. And God is waiting for us to adjust our lives to His purposes so He can work powerfully through us to redeem our lost world.

When we hear God’s call and respond appropriately, there will be no limit to what God can and will do through His people. But if we do not even recognize when God is speaking, we are in trouble at the very heart of our relationship with Him.

This is true in all levels of our walk with God and with each other. If we in our churches cannot sense what God is telling us, then in moments of crucial decisions we’ll continue to have only opinions of people, not the mind of Christ, to direct us. Our entire mission will be in peril. 

-- Henry Blackaby in “What the Spirit Is Saying to the Churches”


#4521

A SONG OF PASSION

NOTE: Today, March 29, 2018, marks the 19^th anniversary of our SOUND BITES Ministry™.  It was begun in 1999 in memory of my son, Dustin, who had died on March 29, 1998 -- now 20 years ago. As we continue to move through Holy Week, I would invite you to share how God has used SOUND BITES to minister to you… and invite you to share SOUND BITES with others, inviting them to subscribe. Thank you for your support over the years. -- Rev. Dave Wilkinson

A SONG OF PASSION

“And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”  (Mark 14:26 NKJV)

How fitting that on this very night Christ, the coming King, would give voice to songs penned centuries earlier just for Him… Imagine the Son of God singing these words as the seconds ticked toward the cross… “The Lord is with Me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?... The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this and it is marvelous in our eyes.”

Whatever Christ sang as the Passover meal concluded that night, the words had significance for Him that the others never comprehended. I wonder if His voice quivered with emotion. Or did He sing with exultation? Perhaps He did both, just as you and I have done at terribly bittersweet moments when our faith exults while our sight weeps. One thing we know: Christ, above all others, knew He was singing more than words. That night He sang the score of His destiny.

-- Beth Moore in “Jesus, the One and Only”

#4307

THE FULFILLMENT OF CHRIST’S MISSION

“It is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name.”  (Luke 24:46-47)

Jesus of Nazareth had a magnificent obsession: the cross. Painful and anguishing though it was, He found Himself consumed by a compelling sense of Divine providence, and each day of His adult life drew Him inexorably closer to the fulfillment of His mission.

Jesus was not a helpless victim of fate; He was not a pitiful martyr… His death on the cross was no afterthought on God’s part but rather, the fulfillment of the Father’s predetermined plan for His Son.

-- Charles Swindoll in “Bedside Blessings”


#4303

MUSINGS ON A MIRACLE – Part 8:

Christmas is THE CHRIST

“So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!  All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation;  that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.  So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making His appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”  (2 Corinthians 5:17-20)

Christmas is Christmas in retrospect.  It is what it has become only because of that little, special baby and what He became.  He grew into the greatest gift anyone and everyone has ever received.  He became the light of the world. His life, His death, His resurrected presence provides the sweetest music this side of heaven.  He took our nature upon Himself and is the supreme model of what we all can and should be and the glorious revelation of what God is like.  How marvelous His teaching and insights, how perfect and pure His matchless love, how awesome His sacrifice, how saving is His defeat of death and despair.  And we have the audacity to adopt His name and to profess to walk in His footsteps!  We come to Christmas sensing with every fiber of our beings that this Christ is no trickster, no phoney, no faker.  He is indeed for real! Christmas is no hoax perpetrated by a capricious God.  So we move beyond the shadows of our doubts; we see ourselves, in the light of His life, for what we are, yet what we also may become.

-- Don G. Smith, Lorne Park Baptist Church, Mississauga, Ontario, December 7, 1985

#4005