1 Timothy 4-6 -- Good Advice To Men Of God

“Tell the believers to do these things so that no one can criticize them … Then no enemy will have any reason to criticize them … So that no one will speak against God’s name and our teaching …”

 

Paul knew that the world was just looking for ways to criticize Christians and the church.  It’s still that way today.  The world condemns Christians for the very thing non-Christians are best at!  Paul tells us to take the high road.  Give no one any ammunition to use against us.  He tells Timothy:  “But you, man of God, run away from all those things .. Instead, live in the right way, serve God, have faith, love, patience, and gentleness.  Fight the good fight of faith, grabbing hold of the life that continues forever.  You were called to have that life … Do what you were commanded to do without wrong or blame … Guard what God has trusted to you.  Stay away from foolish, useless talk, and from the arguments of what is falsely called knowledge.  By saying they have that knowledge, some have missed the true faith.”

 

Our efforts at living a life above reproach are not just for the protection of Christianity’s good name.  God called us to a better life.  He’s the One who knows what it offers for us.  Who are we to argue?

 

Father, thank You for these reminders.  As I’ve watched the political races lately, I think of how differently the whole thing would look if Your wisdom were followed.  Help me to make Your wisdom here an everyday part of my life.

 

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

1 Timothy 3-4 -- Train AND Serve

“Train yourself to serve God.  Training your body helps you in some ways, but serving God helps you in every way by bringing you blessings in this life and in the future life, too.”

 

I might not have noticed this if it hadn’t been football season.  The guys are having workouts every day, getting stronger, faster, and smarter.  But if they never played a game, there wouldn’t be a whole lot of use to what they’re doing.  That new strength and speed, and those newly memorized plays, have a purpose – to win football games.

 

Paul tells us to train ourselves to serve God.  It’s not enough just to train to do that.  The serving is the reason for the training!  The training might bless us in this life, he said, but serving God blesses us both in this life and in the next.  Yes, we’ll be in heaven, but God will somehow reward us there for our service.  It’s impossible for us to imagine how that could be, but He certainly tells us it will be more than worth it!

 

Father, thank You for last night.  You’ve had me training for serve, and last night I so loved getting to serve – walking through professions of faith and rededications with young men, helping them to find faith or restore faith in their lives.  That’s what we’re here for, training for, Father.  Thank You for letting me get on the field again last night!

 

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

1 Timothy 2 -- A LOT About Prayer

I was reminded of some very interesting things about prayer from my commentary today.  Some great thoughts from Warren Wiersbe:

 

“Prayer is most important in the public worship of the church …

Many pastors spend more time on the announcements than they do in prayer….

Much prayer, much power.  No prayer, no power …

Our hearts must be right with God and with each other…

We must really want to pray….

When a local church ceases to depend on prayer, God ceases to bless its ministry …

We are praying to God; prayer is an act of worship, not just an expression of our wants and needs…

There should be reverence in our hearts as we pray to God …

We not only give thanks for answers to prayers, but for who God is and what He does for us in His grace …

True Christians pray in order to please God.  This suggests that we must pray in the will of God, because it certainly does not please the Father when we pray selfishly …

Effective prayer, then, demands that I be in right relationship with God and with my fellow believers.  If we spent more time preparing to pray and getting our hearts right before God, our prayers would be more effective.

 

Father, too many times I rush to pray.  I save prayer for last rather than praying throughout my quiet times.  I admit that I don’t pray enough, and by not doing so, I am failing to use the spiritual power that You provide us as believers.  Help me to converse with You more.  Prepare my heart each time before I pray, and help me not to have disputes with other believers, for that hinders the effectiveness of my prayers.

 

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

1 Timothy 1 -- Paul On Paul

God really speaks in what Paul writes to Timothy about people being “wrong-headed” and what causes it.  Sin in our life can cause us to think we are sincerely right when in reality we can be sincerely wrong.

 

People in the church at Ephesus were relying on long lists of genealogies as if that might save the.  Paul said, “Those things only bring arguments; they do not help God’s work.”  In the same way, we must be careful today not to bring anything into the church that only produces arguments – things that aren’t meant to help God’s work.  Paul says that we can avoid such strife if all members have a love that comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a true faith.

 

Like Paul, I’m thankful for God’s mercy.  He gave me strength and trusted me and gave me the work of serving Him.  I, too, was doing all kinds of things to hurt Him.

 

Perhaps one of my favorite verses follows:  “But God showed me mercy, because I did not KNOW what I was doing.  Like Paul, I was given mercy so that in me, the worst of all sinners, Christ Jesus could show that He has patience without limit.

 

My commentary said, “Even though Saul of Tarsus was a brilliant mind and well educated, his mind was blinded from the truth.  He was a religious man, yet he was not headed for heaven!  It was not until he put faith in Jesus Christ that he was saved.”

 

Father, I full well knew what I was doing, but I was ignorant of just how much I was hurting You.  Thank You for Your patience and Your desire to see me change.  If You’d given up on me, I don’t know where I’d be now.  Thank You for Your love.

 

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Luke 24 -- Do You Remember What He Told You?

“Do you remember what He told you?” the angel at the tomb said to the women looking for Jesus’ body.  Don’t you just imagine it was embarrassing to have to say, “No….”

 

The women told all this to the disciples, but they didn’t remember it.  The two followers on their way to Emmaus, walking beside Jesus, who’d hidden His identity from them, told them, “You are foolish and slow to believe everything the prophets said.”  They were allowed to recognize Him as He broke bread at supper, and He vanished.

 

They went to tell the disciples, and as they related these events, Jesus stood right in the middle of them suddenly.

 

They’d spend 3 years with Him, and He’d told them several times that all this would happen, yet they hadn’t even remembered, and you’d think they’d have set up a vigil at His tomb to see the blessed event!

 

“Then Jesus opened their minds, so they could understand the Scriptures.”  I know that’s what happened to me.  They’d been believers but hadn’t really understood.  It was the same with me.  But in His mercy and grace, Jesus opened my mind to help me understand what was written about Him in the scriptures.  And what a difference it makes!

 

Believers can be spiritually blinded – even the best of them – His disciples.

 

Father, open the minds of all believers who haven’t yet understood.  Help them to see what they haven’t yet discovered about You.  Show me even more, Father, and help me to tell others about it.

 

 

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Luke 23 -- Hearing The Cock Crow In OUR Lives

I was particularly drawn to my commentary’s thoughts on Peter’s betrayal by denying Christ three times.  It said, “Jesus, being led away to the next trial, turned and looked at Peter, and His look broke Peter’s heart….Peter slipped out and went off and wept bitterly.  It is to Peter’s credit that all the Lord had to do was look at him to bring him to the place of repentance.”

 

We all think about Peter hearing the cock crow twice and realizing Jesus had predicted his betrayal.  My commentary said, “It was also a special message to Peter, a message that helped to restore him to fellowship again … First, it was an assurance to him that Jesus Christ was still in control of things even though He was a prisoner, bound and seemingly helpless before His captors … Second, the crowing of the cock assured Peter that he could be forgiven … he remembered the word of the Lord … because with the word of warning was also a promise of restoration … Finally, the miracle of the cock to Peter that a new day was dawning … a new day for Peter as he repented and wept bitterly.  “A broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.” … Each one of us, at one time or another, will fail the Lord and then hear (in one way or another) “the crowing of the cock.”  Satan will tell us that we are finished, that our future has been destroyed, but that is not GOD’s message for us!”

 

Amen, Father!  Thank You for Your grace and Your willingness to restore us when we fail You.  Without it, we would have no hope!

 

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Luke 22 -- Failing At The Point Of Our Greatest Strength

So much happens in this chapter that it is tough to pick any one thing to think about.  The point that seemed important today was when Jesus warned Peter that Peter would deny him.  Jesus said, “I have prayed that you will not lose your faith!  Help your brothers be stronger when you come BACK to Me.” 

 

The Son of God had already prayed to the Father that Peter would not lose his faith during what was to come.  By what He said here, He already knew for certain Peter would deny him three times, because He’d added, “when you come back to Me.”  What a special Savior we have who prays for our return to Him even before we commit our sins!

 

My commentary said, “Peter’s courage failed, but not his faith.  He was restored to fellowship with Christ … Peter’s self-confident boasting is a warning to us that none of us REALLY KNOWS his own heart  and that we can fail in the point of our greatest strength.”

 

Father, help me to be most watchful in the area of whatever my greatest strength is so that I will be ever mindful that it will be the most likely spot of my temptation and failure.  Pray for me, too, Jesus, for Your prayers are most effective.

 

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Luke 21 -- The Proportion

Despite all of the fascinating things Jesus taught His disciples about the end times here, what really grabbed me this morning was what Jesus said in the first four verses of this chapter.  Rich people were putting their gifts into the Temple money box.  A poor widow (usually widows had no means of support aside from the charity of their families, if they had families) put two small copper coins in the box.  Knowing everything about her, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow gave more than all those rich people.  They gave only what they did not need.  This woman is very poor, but she gave all she had to live on.”

My commentary said, “The widow’s mite does not represent the least we can give, but the most, our very all … When it comes to our giving, God sees more than the portion; He also sees the proportion.  Men see what is given, but God sees what is left, and by that He measures the gift and the condition of our hearts.  Winston Churchill said, ‘ We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.’”

God sees what is left AFTER we give.  He watches as we vote with our checkbook or debit card and I’m sure He tallies up how much of our resources we use for His kingdom and how much we use for self.  By our spending of what is left, we are voting for His agenda or for the world’s.

Father, please show me when there is an imbalance in how I spend the resources You provide me.  Stop me if I’m spending in any manner You don’t approve of.  Help me to be mindful if I’m being wasteful of Your resources, for they truly are all Yours.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Luke 20 -- What They Missed

Three groups of religious leaders challenged Jesus in this chapter.  He’d cleansed the Temple, calling them “thieves”.  Their honor was most important to them, so they threw down the gauntlet and used all of their mental prowess to try to get Jesus to self-incriminate Himself so they could get Him out of their way.

“They’d turned religious devotion into play-acting.  The general public thought the leaders were godly men, when in reality they were defiling and destroying souls,” my commentary said.

It’s hard to imagine how Israel’s leadership had transformed from the humility of Moses and the steadfastness of Joshua into the selfish, prideful, arrogant, and entitled mentality shown here.  My commentary added, “Keep in mind that these men were experts in the Bible, yet they did not apply its truths to their lives.  Their religion was a matter of external observance, not internal transformation.”

Father, it’s easy to see how Satan taps our pride and causes us to covet what will produce more of it.  Even when we hear from You, our pride sets in, wanting others to recognize that God is speaking to us, and that they should listen, when in reality, we ought to be doing the most listening!  Please produce humility in my own life when You speak to me – cause me to keep being amazed that You do and to recognize that I am but a sinner saved only by Your grace.  That’s what the Pharisees were missing, and I don’t want to share their fate.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Luke 19 -- The Cause Of A Twisted & Deformed Soul

Verses 11-27 have buffaloed me in the past, I think, because it’s too easy to make Jesus the man leaving to become king, and the reaction this man has to his servants upon returning doesn’t sound very Christ-like.  However, it became clear as I read today that it was the servant’s heart that was the problem, not his master’s.

My commentary talked about the fact that each servant received the same amount (possibly “the Gospel”):  “The important thing was that they give back to their master more than he has given them.  How they did it was up to them, so long as it was legal and profitable.”

The commentary writer links the coin given to each servant and their investment of it (or lack thereof) to witnessing:

“When it comes to witnessing, all believers start on the same level, so the reward is according to faithfulness and achievement … the reward for faithful work is always – more work! … Faithfulness now is preparation for blessed service then.”

The one man who was scared of his master and hid his coin shows us this:  “It is a basic principle of the Christian life that wasted opportunity means loss of reward and possibly loss of the PRIVILEGE of service.”

Here comes the rub:

“This servant was unfaithful because his heart was not right toward his master.  He saw his master as a hard man who was demanding and unfair.  The servant had no love for his master; in fact he feared him and dreaded to displease him … It is sad when a Christian is motivated by slavish fear instead of loving faith.  While there is a proper ‘fear of the Lord’ that should be in every Christian’s heart, that ‘fear’ should be the respect of a loving child and not the dread of a frightened slave.  Nothing twists and deforms the soul more than a low or unworthy conception of God.”

I can remember when I had such a conception of You, Father, and my soul was indeed twisted and deformed.  It wasn’t until You sought me out and showed me my worth in Your eyes, despite my sinfulness, that I was able to understand how worthy and glorious You really ARE.  Thank You for straightening out my understanding of You.  Please continue to help me to live worthy of all that You’ve done for me. 

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Luke 18 -- Answering Prayer

In verses 6-8 it can almost sound like God holds back in answering prayers selfishly, until He gets tired of us bothering Him.  But my commentary said that Jesus is pointing out contrasts.  “God is not like this judge, for God is a loving Father, who is attentive to our every cry, generous in His gifts, concerned about our needs, and ready to answer when we call.”

Yet there can be delays in God’s answering.  It said, “God’s delays are not delays of inactivity but of preparation.  God is always answering prayer, otherwise Romans 8:28 could not be in the Bible.  God works in all things at all times, causing all things to work together to accomplish His purposes.”

I’ve been amazed by the power of prayer and God’s willingness to answer when we pray in His will.  Yesterday I did a lot of continuous praying and it will probably be happening a lot today as well.  Father, You know what’s happening.  You know the Pharisee and the publican in this chapter.  Help me to represent You well, to have compassion, and yet to also call for accountability.  Like I read yesterday, I need “a mulberry tree uprooted”, Father.  Increase my faith!

Luke 17 -- What Kind of Faith??

Jesus spoke of faithfulness in the first ten verses.  Here’s what stuck out to me from my commentary:

“Faith that does not result in faithfulness will not accomplish God’s work.  It is good to have faith to do the difficult and the impossible, but it is essential that we have faith to do even the routine tasks our Master has committed to us.  Privileges must always be balanced with responsibilities.”

Jesus’ story of the servant working in the field and then coming in and hearing his master telling him to fix supper “emphasizes faithfulness to duty no matter what the demands might be … If a common servant is faithful to obey the orders of his master who does not reward or thank him, how much more ought Christ’s disciples obey their loving Master, who has promised to reward them graciously! … The fact that Jesus will reward His servants is wholly a matter of God’s grace.  We do not deserve anything because we have obeyed Him and served Him.”

Wow!  Faith to do even the routine tasks; privileges balanced with responsibilities; faithfulness to duty no matter what the demands might be.  Some might say that sounds like life in an army, Father, but I’m so glad You sent Your Son who lived out these sentences, so that I’d have a perfect example to emulate, and so I’d have no excuse not to obey, for He obeyed first.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Luke 16 -- Wait A Minute ... WHAT?

The first story in this chapter almost causes us to do a double-take.  A wealthy man’s manager gets caught cheating him and is called to account for the funds.  Knowing he’s about to lose his job, he contacts all those who currently owe money to his boss, telling them to rewrite the invoices for lesser amounts, if they’ll agree to pay immediately, which many of them do.

To us, the man has already cheated his master, costing him money.  Now, he’s doing it again.  The master actually praised the man for his ingenuity!  What gives here?

My new commentary explained:  “Jesus did not commend the steward for robbing his master or for encouraging others to be dishonest.  Jesus commended the man for his wise use of OPPORTUNITY.  The children of this world are experts at seizing opportunities for making money and friends, and getting ahead.  God’s people should take heed and be just as wise when it comes to managing the spiritual affairs of life … We are told by Jesus to use our opportunities wisely, making friends for the Lord by winning people to Christ.  He tells us also to be faithful in the way we use material wealth…  Finally, He admonishes us to be wholly-devoted to God and single-minded … Jesus is demanding integrity, total devotion to God that puts Him first in everything.”

I understand better now, Father.  Help me to have heaven in view as You present opportunities for me to minister with what You’ve blessed me with.  Give me wisdom in the use of those resources, for they are all Yours and not mine.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Luke 15 -- Focusing On The Other Guy

Wow!  I love the insights in my new commentary by Warren Wiersbe!  He discusses how the Pharisees would have felt hearing Jesus discussing them in these parables:

“The people who first heard the parables must have been shocked.  Jesus was saying that God actually searches for lost sinners! … There was no place in the Pharisees’ legalistic theology for a God like that … The Pharisees had a religion of good works … They knew little or nothing about the grace of God.  However, it was not what they did, but what they did not do, that alienated them from God.  When they saw Jesus receiving and forgiving irreligious people, they rebelled against it.  Even more, they failed to see that they themselves also needed the Savior.”

He had another awesome insight – “We are not saved by God’s love; God loves the whole world and the whole world is not saved.  We are saved by God’s grace, and grace is love that pays a price.”

Father, keep me ever mindful that I was like the prodigal son.  I’ve witnessed firsthand Your forgiveness and grace.  Let me never fail to identify with the one in need of repentance.  Help me to share my joy with him – something the Pharisees were never able to do.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Luke 14 -- A New Take On These Parables

In the parable of the banquet, Jesus tells about a host who’d invited friends to a banquet, and they had all accepted the invitation.  But on the day of the banquet, they presented flimsy excuses for not attending.

My new commentary said”  “People today make the same mistake that people in the parable made:  They delay in responding to the invitation because they settle for second best … if good things keep you from enjoying the best things, then they become bad things.”

“Jesus seems to make a distinction between salvation and discipleship.  Salvation is open to all who will come by faith, while discipleship means carrying the cross and following Jesus Christ,” it also said.  The commentary pointed out that in the parables about the man building the tower and the king fighting the war, we usually think of ourselves as the central figure, counting the cost of discipleship.  But Campbell Morgan said that the builder and the king represent not the believer but Jesus Christ.  He is the one who must count the cost to see whether we are the kind of material He can use to build the church and battle the enemy.  He cannot get the job done with halfhearted followers who will not pay the price,” it said.

Wow!  Such a fresh way to look at it all.  Father, let this sink deep into my heart, and help me to be the kind of person You can use to build Your kingdom.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Luke 13 -- Repentance

Twice Jesus said, “Unless you change your hearts and lives, you will be destroyed.”  Hearts speaks of internal desires while lives speaks of external actions.  He’s giving us a huge clue here – it’s not good enough just to suppress our actions.  We also have to squelch the desires that lead to those actions if we are ever going to whip sin.

In verses 6-9, Jesus tells the story of a fig tree that has never produced fruit.  The owner tells his servant to cut it down.  The servant asks for one more year to work on the tree, to fertilize it and loosen the ground around the roots in an effort to coax it to do what it was meant to do.  Then, if it fails to produce, he will remove it.  My commentary said this is a testimony to God’s grace and longsuffering with us.  However, it also indicates that there is a limit to God’s mercy and grace, and we must never presume upon it.

In the sidebar this morning by Charles Stanley, it says that the first stage in the recovery process is repentance – not just “Lord, I’m sorry,” but “Lord, I have sinned against You.”  We have to acknowledge our guilt and recognize that our sin was against God.  “Repentance requires total honesty with God.  You know, we won’t always be holy, but we can always be honest.  I believe God is looking for us to be honest about our sin – honest about our weaknesses, our failures, and our frustrations.  Honesty promotes fellowship.  As long as we continue to be open and honest with God, He can continue to work with us, even after our most grievous sin.”

Father, I never will be able to hide sin from You.  You know me better than I know myself.  When I sin, help me to admit it.  Help me to not simply say, “I’m sorry I messed up,” but instead to say as David did, “Against You and You alone have I sinned.”  Lead me to be open and honest with You about my weaknesses, my failures, and my frustrations.  Help me to want to change my heart and my life.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Luke 12 -- What's In YOUR Wallet?

I was amazed at all the margin notes I’d made in this chapter over the years!

Jesus said, “Everything that is hidden will be shown, and everything that is secret will be made known.”  I’d written, “Don’t give anyone any ammunition.  Live wisely.”

When one brother asked Jesus to tell his brother to divide his father’s estate with him, Jesus answered the complainer rather than the one with more of the estate:  “Be careful to guard against all kinds of greed.  Life is not measured by how much one owns.”  The man was coveting.

Jesus said, “You must be ready because the Son of Man will come at a time when you don’t expect Him.”  Sure, this would include making sure to keep sin always out of your life, but He’s talking to believers here.  Their sins are forgiven.  So how do they stay ready?  By always seeking to add others to the kingdom.  That’s the only thing that’s really on countdown to His return.

Jesus said, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded.  And from the one trusted with much, much more will be expected.”  This isn’t one of the wealth redistribution speeches we’ve been hearing during this election season.  Knowing what God wants brings responsibility and accountability DUE TO that knowledge.  If He shares with us knowledge about Himself, then He expects us to share that knowledge with others.

Jesus said, “Do you think I came to give peace to the earth?  No, I tell you, I came to divide it.”  In other words, people will have to choose sides over Jesus.  Be sure to choose the right side.

Father, those listening to Jesus back then were likely dirt poor, and they watched as their religious leaders will all their fineries seemed to imply that holiness leads to prosperity.  So they felt unholy.  But here, You attacked greed and materialism, worry, and hearts that seek after material gain instead of you.  Please remind me that my heart will be where my treasure is, and let that treasure only be You.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Luke 11 -- Leaders Who Failed To Lead

It was amazing that Jesus’ followers had to ask:  “Lord, teach us to pray…”  They were all Jewish – members of a nation that God had called to be His own and set apart.  He’d walked them through the desert for 40 years – training time for reigning time.  They’d seen evidence of His presence before them in the pillar of fire and the covering cloud deflecting the hot desert sun.  They’d heard Him speak!  Yet they’d failed at learning to speak to him – what should be the most natural thing we can do!

Jesus laid the blame for this squarely on the religious leaders of that day.  They’d been so proud to be Jewish that it didn’t matter what they did.  Jesus corrected their misconceptions:

“The people who live today are evil … You Pharisees … inside you are full of greed and evil … you fail to be fair to others and to love God … you are like hidden graves [people will unknowingly touch them and become ritually unclean as a result]…”

Jesus also attacked the teachers of the Law: 

“You make strict rules that are very hard for people to obey, but you yourselves don’t even try to follow those rules … You have taken away the KEY to learning about God.  You yourselves would not learn, and you stopped others from learning, too.”

They wanted to greedily hold those keys for their own prestige.

I think about how much I love to teach about God.  I remember too many Sunday School and Training Union classes which left me with nothing.  The instant I left the room, the teachings left as well.  So I try to make it all so interesting that the youth I teach can’t help but remember it.  Failure is not an option.  How I’ve seen God work in the lives of so many youth over the years, helping them stay connected to Him despite being in the world.  That’s what it’s all about, and it galls me to think people were looking up to these “leaders” and getting nothing in return.

Father, thank You for sharing with me ways to teach youth about You.  Thank You for giving me a passion for them.  When I question, please remind me of all those who’ve come and gone and still remain in You.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Luke 10 -- Too Busy For Ministry? Study?

We are so used to hearing about the 12 disciples, but we hardly ever hear about the 36 pairs of disciples Jesus sent out ahead of Himself.  He told them to do something that we today think very little of.  They were to bless the homes they stayed in simply by saying, “Peace be with this house.”  It was His command that they do this.  One of two outcomes would occur:  Either the people living there would be blessed with peace, or the disciples would be blessed with peace in a home that wasn’t peaceful.  Who knows what power our words might have today to impart peace just like this!

In one of the homes He chose to stay in, Jesus met Mary and Martha.  Mary sat a Jesus’ feet, listening to Him teach.  Martha busied herself with meal preparation, cleaning up, and being a hostess.  When she complained that Mary wasn’t helping, Jesus encouraged here never to be too busy to hear His words.  Today, that tells me to never be too busy to have a quiet time.

Likewise, the expert on the law asked Jesus who his neighbor was.  Jesus told the story of the good Samaritan, then asked him, “Who was a neighbor to the man?”  The man answered, “The one who showed him mercy.”  The Jewish priest and the Levite in the story were too busy staying ritually clean for their jobs to stop and help the injured man.

We can always find reasons to be too busy for God, but Jesus said to throw those reasons out the door and simply do what needs to be done when God places an opportunity before us.  Otherwise, we miss out on a ministry opportunity and a blessing.

Father, thank You for showing me over the past week that simply being there for my mom is a way of ministering to her in Your name.  Help me to see those You place in my path who need a touch, a hug, or a word.  Let me be Jesus’ hands and feet on this earth.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Luke 9 -- What He Said

Jesus gave the 12 apostles something He didn’t give others – authority over all demons and the ability to heal sicknesses.  Yet when it came to the feeding of the five thousand, their finite brains couldn’t make the leap of faith, and Jesus stepped in to divide the food.

Later, Jesus asked them what the people were saying about Him.  Then came the point-blank question:  “But who do You say I am?”  To the Jewish leaders, Peter’s answer would be blasphemy, and he probably knew he was risking his life by uttering it:  “You are the Christ from God.”

Jesus said to all of them, “If people want to follow Me, they must give up the things they want.  They must be willing to give up their lives DAILY to follow Me.  Those who want to save their lives will give up TRUE LIFE.  But those who give up their lives for Me will have true life.”

I read through that several times this morning.  How we hate to give up the things we want – not the things we have, but our desires!  And I think Jesus is saying that He knows what a struggle it’s going to be to do so.  That’s why He added, “They must be willing to give up their lives daily …”  Each new day that comes brings with it the temptations to quit the race – to go back to the old life.  Satan makes it sound so alluring and attractive.  “You get to indulge your desires!” he whispers.  But Jesus says, “Give it up.  I’ve got something much better for you – TRUE life.  What you were meant to do.”  Give up to get … not something that usually works in this world.  But then again, this world is not our home.

Father, help me to daily make the purposeful decision to give up what I still try to hold onto from my old life.  Erase all doubts that this new life is every bit worth it.  Expose Satan’s whispers for the lies they are.  Let me listen only to Jesus.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Luke 8 -- What The Demons Knew

I like the fact that the Holy Spirit directed Luke to write what he did in verse 10:  “You have been chosen to know the secrets about the kingdom of God.”  That sentence speaks across the millennia to believers today.  And I believe that others, who will not ever become believers will either fly right by that verse if they ever read it or else likely get angry because they don’t feel a part of the chosen.

In the parable of the seed, Jesus said that the seed that fell on the good ground “is like those who hear God’s teaching with good, honest hearts and obey it and patiently produce fruit.”  Those are the three things we are supposed to be doing as believers. 

Put these two sections together – being chosen to know, then hearing, obeying, and producing fruit, we’d say that such a person has been enlightened.  So how appropriate it is then that we receive the instructions in the next verse – verse 16:  “No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a bowl or hides it under a bed.  Instead, the person puts it on a lampstand so those who come in will see the light.”

That isn’t about a household item.  It’s about us.  Once we hear and become enlightened, we don’t hide what God has shown us or be cowardly about telling others about it.  God wants others to see the light of His grace through us.

Likewise, the man from Gerasene was afflicted with many demons.  As Jesus addressed the man’s needs, God told me to pay attention to what the demons knew, because they are real, even today.  They begged Jesus not to send them into eternal darkness.  Even though God was their enemy, the very thing even they did not want to experience was an eternity without His light.  When the demons left him, he was in his right mind again.  That’s what they can still do to us.  Jesus told him, “Go back home and tell people how much God has done for you.”  Those are our instructions as well.  We aren’t to hide the knowledge of Him we’ve been given.  We are to tell others what He’s done for us.

Father, You’ve so radically changed my life.  I love telling my story.  Thank You so much for stepping in and loving me enough to change me!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford