Author: astherainandsnow

“Some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, ‘Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!’

“Jesus replied, ‘And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, “Honor your father and mother” and “Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.” But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is “devoted to God,” they are not to “honor their father or mother” with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied:

“‘These people honor me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
    their teachings are merely human rules.’” Matthew 15:1-9

Jesus, always more concerned with the heart than outward action, with treating others with love rather than twisting words or ticking boxes, exposed the hypocrisy of tradition for tradition’s sake. The Pharisees were known for being persnickety about ceremonial washings, adherence to manmade rules, the show of extraneous customs, specific meaningless habits and verbiage, none of which was dictated by God’s Word or directed by a clean heart. The motive for all worship and practice must be God’s glory, not man’s vainglory.

The trap of tradition is that we get caught up in particular practices and become slaves to checking lists and certain deeds rather than seeking and doing for God’s will. We find a sense of satisfaction and pride in following the imposed, often unfounded ‘rules,’ sometimes having no idea of their source or purpose. Life is full of traditions ingrained, advice we personalize, instructions we simplify, and other people’s recipes we alter to make our own. My list or His is our daily choice, and driven by performance and perfectionism, we easily tend to serving our interests over the Lord’s.

But God’s truth is God’s truth, and it stands strong and immovable, in no need for our man-adding or improvement. Do I know it? Am I familiar enough with the real thing that I recognize when counterfeit teaching or requirements are presented? One good test is whether what is required lines up with Scripture. Another is whether the keeping of dictates is a strain or joy. God’s commands are not burdensome, for they fulfill His spiritual law and are obeyed by the power of His Spirit, issuing freedom and delight. (1 John 5:3)

What traditions, either errantly taught or self-imposed, have trumped God’s word in my life? Am I so bent on how I need to please Him to win His favor that I’ve evaded His grace and lost my first love? Have I become too rigid in practices and habits that leave no room for a change of direction or commitment? Am I so stuck on what I must do that I neglect the different thing the Lord is calling me to do? Where have I lost the heart of true worship and ministry to others? A life firmly rooted in God’s truth sets every priority and effort in proper place. (Revelation 2:4)

Father, may Your Word alone determine my daily direction, choices, and practices, to Your glory.

“O Lord, make me know my end
    and what is the measure of my days;
    let me know how fleeting I am!
Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths,
    and my lifetime is as nothing before you.
Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! 
    Surely a man goes about as a shadow!
Surely for nothing they are in turmoil;
    man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!

And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?
    My hope is in you.
Deliver me from all my transgressions…
    Surely all mankind is a mere breath!”

“So teach us to number our days
    that we may get a heart of wisdom.”

“As a father shows compassion to his children,
    so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
For he knows our frame;
    he remembers that we are dust.

As for man, his days are like grass;
    he flourishes like a flower of the field;
for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
    and its place knows it no more.
But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,
    and his righteousness to children’s children,
to those who keep his covenant
    and remember to do his commandments.” Psalm 39:4-8a,11c; 90:12; 103:13–18

Since Eden, the number of man’s days here on earth, originally intended to be endless, are limited. Everyone is born, everyone dies, his days known exclusively by the creator and sustainer of life. Each person is appointed a life fleeting as grass, within His boundaries in its place and time, to be lived faithfully for God. (Genesis 3:22-24; Job 33:4; Psalm 139:13-16; Ecclesiastes 3:2; 9:12; Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 9:27)

Recognition of the limited number of our days triggers distinct reactions. For the one who lives only for this life, it presents either a frenzy sown with impatience, or frozen despair. For the one who lives for temporal pleasure and the charms of this world, it can trigger avarice and hurry to experience every frivolity and amass earthly treasure. But for the one he sees himself as a sojourner here whose citizenship is in heaven and knows that the best is yet to come, days and hours are intently spent in fruitful occupation and glad offering to the Potentate of time. (Psalm 16:6)

What are our life passions and priorities? Where are we wasting time and resources? What sense of urgency prods us forward? Is it to go and do for selfish satisfaction, or to invest in eternal efforts that nurture God’s kingdom? Do we explore worldly wisdom from an array of sources, or delve into the Word? Is conversation filled with inane chatter and fruitless dreams, or do we speak boldly to encourage others’ faith, of God’s greatness and salvation? (Psalm 40:8-10; Ephesians 5:15-20)

“A charge to keep I have, 
a God to glorify, 
a never-dying soul to save, 
and fit it for the sky. 

To serve the present age, 
my calling to fulfill, 
O may it all my pow’rs engage 
to do my Master’s will! 

Arm me with jealous care 
as in Thy sight to live, 
and now Thy servant, Lord, prepare 
a strict account to give!

Help me to watch and pray,
and still on Thee rely,
O let me not my trust betray,
but press to realms on high.” ~Charles Wesley (1762)

Lord, may I wisely, faithfully serve You here, in hope of heaven.

“When Christ came into the world, he said,.. ‘I have come to do your will.’ He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

“And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God… For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

“And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,

“’This is the covenant that I will make with them
    after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws on their hearts,
    and write them on their minds,’

“then he adds,

“’I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.’

“Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through… his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:5,9-12,14-22

Jesus Christ the perfect Son perfectly fulfilled His Father’s will by giving His life to atone for those of every believer, past, present, and future. His finished work perfected for all time all who, in this life on earth, continue to be sanctified. Only the Holy One can design and accomplish such a mystery, where not one drop of blood is wasted, melding completed with ongoing in precise unity.

And we are the eternal benefactors. Sadly, many do not grasp the finished work, and spend days and endless efforts trying to achieve what only Jesus could. When Christ is demoted in their sovereign minds, they cannot fully grasp His supreme work on their behalf. They skirt the altar, focusing instead on self-sacrifice or good works in an attempt to win favor, a fruitless exercise that detracts from the perfect sacrifice that truly frees, and alone saves.

Where and how are we seeking full assurance? Would we in confidence draw near His throne, applying His once-for-all atonement? Whom can we tell of His efficient, loving gift for their eternal sake?

“And can it be that I should gain
An int’rest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain?
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! how can it be
That Thou, my God, should die for me?

He left His Father’s throne above,
So free, so infinite His grace;
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race;
‘Tis mercy all, immense and free;
For, O my God, it found out me.

No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him is mine!
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.

Amazing love! how can it be
That Thou, my God, should die for me!” ~Charles Wesley (1738)

Savior, keep me marveling at Your finished work, and making it known.

“In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings… And one called to another and said:

“’Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!’

“And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: ‘Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips,.. for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!'” Isaiah 6:1-5

“At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald… and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal…

“And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

‘Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
    and by your will they existed and were created.'” Revelation 4:2-3,6,9-11

As the Author of every word, the Creator makes Himself known from beginning to end of the Bible. Visions of the Lord God in Scripture always have a humbling effect. They both hush and awaken the soul with awe and worship. Before His majestic glory angels and mortal men must bow. (Genesis 1:1-3; 2 Timothy 3:16)

When we are rapt with the exquisite splendor of a morning, this same majestic God’s intricate creation in one place and moment, even the vista blurs behind the clearer, louder, more magnificent vision of God Almighty. Movement, changing cloud shapes, fire and smoke and the widespread lava of sunburst all the work of His hands, make the heart gasp and lift it in wonder. Indeed, “His signature is the beauty of things.” * (Psalm 8:3-4)

Many enjoy the display, and assign it to atmospheric rhythms, the season, or a chance viewing. But those who rise expectantly, seek the Lord, and ask for eyes to see His work and ears to hear His breath will look to see His hand in every turn and situation.

Are we taking time to look? Are we too frenzied with stuff and stress here below to behold His lofty artwork? How will we determine to wonder at God’s handiwork, anticipate His showing up, then promptly praise?

“Is it not by His high superfluousness we know Our God? For to equal a need
Is natural, animal, mineral: but to fling
Rainbows over the rain…
And beauty above the moon, and secret rainbows on the domes of deep sea-shells,
Not even the weeds to multiply without blossom
Nor the birds without music…
Look how beautiful are all the things that He does.
His signature is the beauty of things”.
*Robinson Jeffers (1887-1962) 

Worthy Lord on high, may I never stop praising You for Your infinite beauty and splendor, magnifying Your grace and glory, and making known Your signature and marvelous salvation.

“O God, we have heard with our ears,
    our fathers have told us,
what deeds you performed in their days,
    in the days of old:
you with your own hand drove out the nations,
    but them you planted;
you afflicted the peoples,
    but them you set free;
for not by their own sword did they win the land,
    nor did their own arm save them,
but your right hand and your arm,
    and the light of your face,
    for you delighted in them.

You are my King, O God;
    ordain salvation for Jacob!
Through you we push down our foes;
    through your name we tread down those who rise up against us.
For not in my bow do I trust,
    nor can my sword save me.
But you have saved us from our foes
    and have put to shame those who hate us.
In God we have boasted continually,
    and we will give thanks to your name forever. ” Psalm 44:1-8

“The Lord said to Abram.., ‘Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever… Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.'” Genesis 13:14-15,17

Remembering God’s past help urged His people to press on His upward way. The psalmist’s recounting translated to present pushing down of foes, victories over fear and doubt. The King’s arm, the light of His face, were still near and working and cause for boast.

The Lord still has land for us to take: victory over ingrained sin, revamping harmful habits to healthy, helpful ones, new horizons for ministry, fruitful utility of the gifts and resources entrusted to us. Have we taken stock of the breadth of all He would do in our lives if He had full sway? Would we lift our eyes to behold the possibilities of healing, transformation, renewed strength, wider spiritual influence, then trust Him? (Isaiah 40:28-31; Jeremiah 29:11)

How will we go about winning His promised places of uplifting relationships, soul peace, bounty in work and service? What needs to change in our mindset? What discontent or complaint need be renounced so we readily recall His past faithfulnesses with thanksgiving? Will we trust our own smart efforts and worldly methods to succeed, or will we look to God’s? (Psalm 20:7; Zechariah 4:6; Romans 12:1-2)

“I’m pressing on the upward way,
New heights I’m gaining every day;
Still praying as I onward bound,
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

My heart has no desire to stay
Where doubts arise and fears dismay;
Tho’ some may dwell where these abound,
My pray’r, my aim is higher ground.

I want to live above the world,
Though Satan’s darts at me are hurled;
For faith has caught the joyful sound,
The song of saints on higher ground.

I want to scale the utmost height,
And catch a gleam of glory bright;
But still I’ll pray till Heav’n I’ve found,
Lord, lead me on to higher ground.

Lord, lift me up and let me stand,
By faith, on Heaven’s table land;
A higher plane than I have found;
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.” ~Johnson Oatman, Jr. (1898)

Lord, help me take the land of Your good will by daily surrender and steady obedience.

“You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
    your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
    none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them,
    yet they are more than can be told…

But may all who seek you
    rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation
    say continually, ‘Great is the Lord!’
As for me, I am poor and needy,
    but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
    do not delay, O my God!” Psalm 40:5,16-17

“O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
    you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down
    and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
    O Lord, you know it altogether.
You hem me in, behind and before,
    and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
    it is high; I cannot attain it...

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
If I would count them, they are more than the sand.” Psalm 139:1-6,17-18

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son… 

“If God is for us, who can be against us?.. Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died.., was raised… is at the right hand of God… interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?.. 

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 7:28-29,31,33-35,37-39

Multiplied deeds and thoughts toward all who love their salvation! Divinely-numbered individuals are intricately known, loved, and personally cared for. In all the vast world, each one is God’s treasure, the apple of His eye. His capacity is limitless, His love boundless! Multiple thoughts toward His people hold numberless thoughts about all that concerns them, every one achieving good. His thoughts are active, intricate, personal, capacious. Each works constantly defending, promoting, interceding, conforming, supporting, protecting. (Deuteronomy 32:10; Isaiah 43:4)

This incomparable One who takes thought for millions does so for me! In what areas am I especially poor and needy? He comes as help. What impulses need untangling and purifying? He knows my errant inclinations, my poisoned tongue, and delivers. Where am I insecure, afraid, uncertain? He hems me in all around, and assures me of His steadfast love. He constantly upholds me in perfect prayer against every strange power, defending me as my advocate and counselor, ordering all things for my ultimate good.

What worries invade my thoughts? What shame weighs heavy on my soul? Would I bow before God’s grace-filled thoughts toward me, and rejoice?

Lord, may I count all Your thoughts and works precious, and be glad to declare Your infinite glories.

“You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.” Leviticus 19:32

“Even to your old age I am he,
    and to gray hairs I will carry you.
I have made, and I will bear;
    I will carry and will save.” Isaiah 46:4

“Wisdom is with the aged,
    and understanding in length of days.” Job 12:12

“The righteous flourish like the palm tree
    and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
They are planted in the house of the Lord;
    they flourish in the courts of our God.
They still bear fruit in old age;
    they are ever full of sap and green,
to declare that the Lord is upright;
    he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.” Psalm 92:12-15

“Gray hair is a crown of glory;
    it is gained in a righteous life.”

“The splendor of old men is their gray hair.” Proverbs 16:31; 20:29

“Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.” 1 Peter 3:3-4

Wrinkles of milk and grey give texture to an otherwise smooth sky, adding distinguishing beauty and depth. Smooth and clear is… smooth and clear, but the shadowed wrinkles enrich the palette of blue, capture the senses, suggest a story, leave an impression. Only the Creator’s fingers could scratch and streak in such exquisite design. Indeed, it takes years and age to appreciate God’s signature in the distinct beauty of His long-faithful hand.

And so works the Lord in the wrinkles of our lives. Each bump and streak and smudge tells a story of love known, pain suffered, ecstasy enjoyed. Whether etched in our faces or grooved into circumstances, the textures and contours of our every day are designed and applied lovingly by the Almighty, intending to display His glory in the countenance or responses that reflect it.

In some places and cultures, it is anathema to appear to be aging, as though this natural process can be arrested, and as though there is no benefit or blessing in having endured much and proven God faithful. The Scriptures teach an honoring of old age, and a proper desire for the wisdom, understanding, and steady fruitfulness it affords. Societies are enriched by the investment in and of the aged, by their experiences and lessons that add perspective and hope.

What if I cared less about the wrinkles on my body and focused more on tracing how the Lord has carried, led, protected, and kept me over the years? What permanent impressions has God made in my way of dealing with people and hard situations? What smile lines do I carry that reflect joyful gratitude and love?

What am I doing today that will contribute to long life and the wrinkles it brings? How can I make the most of my days and years, adding to wisdom, passing along peace and lessons learned, and celebrating God’s deep faithfulness experienced over long seasons? (Proverbs 3:1-2)

Lord God, help me welcome life’s wrinkles as Your gifts etched with love and indelible reminders of Your steadfast faithfulness.

“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’” Matthew 13:24-28

“And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.” Mark 4:18-20

“I went past the field of a sluggard,
    past the vineyard of someone who has no sense;
thorns had come up everywhere,
    the ground was covered with weeds,
    and the stone wall was in ruins.
I applied my heart to what I observed
    and learned a lesson from what I saw:
A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest—
and poverty will come on you like a thief
    and scarcity like an armed man.” Proverbs 24:30-34

“Land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.” Hebrews 6:7-8

Jesus dealt with practical experiences and images to teach life lessons. Even in the loveliest and most prolific gardens there were weeds that poked ugly heads, whose roots entangled and sometimes smothered what was good. Tend to rich soil and all that grows, and saturate yourselves with living water. Beware, He warned, of these foreign pests, and be vigilant to keep sowing good seed, and bear good fruit.

The world casts so many weeds our way! Ugly thoughts here, risky dalliances there, pesky distractions everywhere. It seems the weeds of strange affection, jealousy, fear, gossip, and unholy desire are scattered ubiquitously, and grow so much faster and prove more untenable than do wholesome, fruitful passions. What are we to do? How do we stay pure in a culture infested with weed seeds?

We need take stock in the condition of our soil, and stay soft and receptive to the teachings of God’s word. We need steadily drink in His rain. By deliberate act of the will, we can confess our allowance and entertainment of known sin, and rid of it to make room for steady obedience. The more we pack our garden of time and energy with good deeds and fruit-bearing, the less space there will be for weeds to grow.

What are we doing to help truths take hold? Where do we need particular repentance and accountability? With whom can we press on in love and good deeds, yielding useful crop? (Psalm 119:9-16; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 1:21-22)

Lord, please soak me with Your living word to extricate every weed and nourish only what bears fruit and loveliness for Thee.

“All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, ‘Give us water to drink.’ And Moses said to them, ‘Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?’  But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, ‘Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?’  So Moses cried to the Lord, ‘What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.’  And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.’ And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.  And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?'” Exodus 17:1-7

“In distress you called, and I delivered you;
    I answered you in the secret place of thunder;
    I tested you at the waters of Meribah. 
Hear, O my people, while I admonish you!
    O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
There shall be no strange god among you;
    you shall not bow down to a foreign god.
I am the Lord your God,
    who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
    Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.” Psalm 81:7-10

Exodus tells us the quarreling Israelites tested the Lord at Meribah, while Psalms says it was God testing them. The people, full of themselves and their rights, snipped whether God was even with them, while the Lord begged them to stop snarling and listen, and look, to Him. If they would but open their mouths, not in whining and complaint but in sure anticipation, He would fill it! Vantage point and perspective determine how and who we see.

Why is it so hard to think vertically and look long? Why is our default to blame God above when our horizontal becomes uncomfortable? When we live circular lives with me at center, we fail to recognize the Lord ahead, and get agitated at the adjustment of changing our ways. It’s easier to complain and blame than to humble ourselves and admit Almighty God knows more than we do. He wants us to open our self- imposed boundaries to His supernatural unlimited.

Where has God faithfully led and provided for me in the past? Do I trust Him enough to expect Him to work again, or do I get cantankerous when things are difficult, and suspect His motives, or doubt His care? Rather than get testy with Him, how might I pass His tests of faith?

Lord, please replace my wrangling and irritation with solid trust that honors You.

“Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of falsehood,
    who draw sin as with cart ropes,
who say: ‘Let him… speed his work
    that we may see it;
let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near,
    and let it come, that we may know it!’
Woe to those who call evil good
    and good evil,
who put darkness for light
    and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
    and sweet for bitter!
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,
    and shrewd in their own sight!
Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine,
    and valiant men in mixing strong drink,
who acquit the guilty for a bribe,
    and deprive the innocent of his right!” Isaiah 5:18-23

“Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon.The Jews gathered around him and said to him, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.’ Jesus answered them, ‘I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.’ The Jews picked up stones again to stone him.”

“If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.” John 10:23-31; 12:26

From the beginning, God’s word was clear. The serpent twisted His command to stroke Eve’s emotions and titillate her senses. By confusing her thinking, he upended what had been paradise, and has been turning truth upside down in the mind of man ever since. Jesus spoke plainly that He was the way, truth, and life, but some people refused to hear. Throughout time, man has been wont to prefer self-interest to God’s message. Throughout the Scriptures, the word is clear for those who will listen, and the Lord denounces those who refuse. (Genesis 3:1-6; John 14:6; 2 Timothy 4:3-4)

It is not reason that illuminates our faith, it is faith in God that illuminates our reason. We ask wrong questions, more interested in proving our desired conclusions than learning what God has to say. We go about trying to prove our premises with tools of the flesh when the Word is saying, Come to Me. We cannot serve both ourselves and God. Approaching Him by faith with open heart and mind dissolves natural consternation with the light of truth. (Matthew 6:24)

In what situations am I most prone to manipulate? How willing am I to listen to and actually entertain another’s opinion? How often we start discussions with ready answers, or arguments with preconceptions about our ‘opponents’ and pre-set solutions. We goad others to get what we want. Do we do the same with Jesus? Where do I- my preferences, push, stubbornness, pride- need to get out of the way so the Lord can have His?

Lord, help me set aside flesh and stand upright in Spirit to be a good listener and to embrace Your unadulterated truth.