Lazarus, a “certain man . . . of Bethany,” and a friend of Jesus, falls ill (John 11:1-54. At once his sisters, Martha and Mary, send for Jesus. Who else could heal their brother? Who else could turn this trouble from their home?

The Bible clearly states that Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters. But what does He do? Instead of rushing to their aid, Jesus delays for several days. The reason: “to honor God . . . to promote His glory, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”  By the time Jesus reaches Bethany, Lazarus has been dead for four days. That means rigor mortis and decay has already set in.  

The stage was now set.

When Martha sees Jesus she blurts, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died.” It’s curious that she immediately follows this statement with, “even now I know that whatever You ask from God, He will grant it to You.” What did she expect Him to do? Raise Lazarus from the dead? I don’t think so because when Jesus tells her that her brother will rise again, she says she knows he’ll rise “again in the resurrection at the last day.” And even after Jesus responds with “I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in me although he may die, yet he shall live,” then tells her to have the gravestone removed, she protests, “Lord, by this time he stinketh.”

We all know the dramatic ending. After the stone is rolled away, Jesus shouts, “Lazarus, come forth.” Just those three words, “Lazarus, come forth.” And then there comes Lazarus stumbling out of his grave “bound hand and foot with grave clothes” and his face “bound about with a napkin.” What a sight he must have been!

There is so much here it would take more than a single blog to cover it all, but I will make three points. The first is that Jesus truly is the resurrection and the Life. Like Martha, those who believe in Him have the assurance they will be raised to life after their death to be with him for all eternity. But there’s more. What Martha didn’t understand is that Jesus can resurrect our life right now. And that’s my second point. Before we come into the knowledge of Jesus we are like one “dead.” But after we become His, we have new, resurrected life right here on earth.  And finally, after we’ve come into the saving knowledge of Jesus, like Lazarus we are still covered with smelly grave clothes. Though the Bible tells us we are a new creature, it also tells us we must renew our minds. There are still issues or habits that need to be removed, parts of that old former dead life that continues to cling to us, to our way of thinking, to our mindset. It’s these still-clinging “grave clothes” that often create frustration in a new believer. But removing those grave clothes is a process, not usually completed in a day.

It’s interesting that Jesus commands those around Him to ‘loose” Lazarus and “let him go,” indicating our need for others in the body of Christ and showing the importance of being connected to a church, a Bible study, and other believers, though none of these can ever take the place of the Holy Spirit, Who will lead us into all truth, Who will guide and direct us, and ultimately conform us into the image of Jesus Christ, an image of resurrected life without grave clothes.

Until next time,

Sylvia

As we continue to follow Jesus’ footsteps we next come “to a certain village” in Luke 10:38-42 where we meet two sisters, Martha and Mary. It’s obvious from the start that Martha is the dominant one. She’s the one who welcomes Jesus into her home, then begins busying herself with serving. But what does Mary do? She sits down at Jesus’ feet ready to receive whatever He’s going to impart. By this time Jesus was famous. Many believed He was the Messiah and His miracles were the talk of the entire community. There’s no way Mary wanted to miss a word Jesus was going to say.

But this produces conflict. Martha is immediately put out. Now all the work will fall on her shoulders. And that simply wasn’t fair. Taking the bull by the horns, Martha goes to Jesus and complains, certain He’ll correct this injustice. “Lord,” she says, “is it nothing to You that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” Ah, now Mary was in for it. Jesus had a way of bringing negligent, indolent people back in line! But how keen Martha’s disappointment must have been when Jesus replies, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled by many things. But only one thing is needful and Mary has chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

What? You mean it pleased Jesus to have Mary sitting near Him? Eager to hear what He had to say? And not help Martha? Yes, exactly! And Jesus called it “that good part,” the one thing “needful.” And oh how needful it is to take time out of our busy schedules and spend time sitting at Jesus’ feet. Reading His word. Praying. Praising. And just listening. It’s actually this “good part” this “needful” thing that sets us up for the rest of the day, that enables us to be the best Marthas we can be, able to go about the business of life, doing our job, and serving others.

It’s easier for me to be a Martha than a Mary. Easier to run around and do things. It’s the dominant side of my personality, too. I’ve welcomed Jesus into my home (my heart) but so many times, instead of spending time with Him I busy myself with other things. But here’s the rub: in order to do the things we need to do and do them well, we first need to be a Mary, and spend time with God, spend time in His presence, and allow Him to pour into us all that we’ll need to fully experience a new day His way: with joy, strength and confidence, even in the midst of trials and tribulation. As I said before, it’s not easy to be a Mary. It requires discipline and a willingness to invest time in pursuit of a deeper relationship with God. But if Jesus calls it “that good part” the one thing “needful” isn’t it worth doing?

Until next time,

Sylvia

Here’s a reprint of something I wrote about three years ago.

I love New Years because it smacks of new beginnings, and new beginnings are ever so hopeful.  This year I’m going to shed those extra ten pounds.  This year I’m going to take that trip to Israel.  This year I’m actually going to read all those books piled high on my nightstand. This year . . . well, you fill in the blanks.  We all have our lists and New Years is the time when we once again look forward to a fresh start.

But the truth is we don’t have to wait for another new year to start over.  Everyday is new in the Lord.  Everyday we can start with a clean slate. The Bible tells us that today is the day the Lord has made, and that God’s mercies are new every morning.  That means no matter how badly we’ve blow yesterday, today we can start fresh with God. 

I love that about God.  He never rubs our nose in our failings, our shortcomings.  And if we confess our sins to Him the Bible says He drops them into the “Sea of Forgetfulness” to be remembered no more. And He’ll never fish them out so He can throw them in our faces, either. So while I still love New Years, I’ve passed enough new years to know that those resolutions I make on January 1^st don’t take long to go by the wayside.  And that’s OK, because I don’t have to wait until next New Years to begin again, and neither do you.

Wishing you all a very Happy and Prosperous 2014!

Until next week,

Sylvia

My how time flies! It’s the Christmas season again and in keeping with the times I’m reposting a blog I did over three years ago:

Christmas fills the air. It’s everywhere. And the lights, the music, the holiday rush make it exciting. I’ve already spent hours shopping. Even more hours decorating my house so it will look “magical” when the grandkids come. Next to Easter, this is the most wonderful time of year for a Christian. I feel both joy and excitement as I get ready to participate in the world’s biggest birthday party. Our God, our Savior, our King, our Friend came to earth as our Kinsman Redeemer over 2000 years ago, and millions are preparing to celebrate. I think of them now. They are my brothers and sisters in Christ. But I also think of the many who will go through the motions this season only because it’s “tradition,” and not a matter of the heart. They celebrate because that’s how their parents did it, or because that’s what everyone else does, or because they don’t want their kids to miss out on the presents and fun. Their house will be decorated, too, their shopping done but there will be no room in the inn of their heart for the One who loves them, who gave Himself for them, who longs to whisper in their ear and call them, “friend.”

I pray this season will be filled with good heath and joy and love and family and friends. But most of all I pray that room will be made in the inn of our hearts for the One whose birth we will soon celebrate.

Merry Christmas to all!

Until next time,

Sylvia

Here’s an interesting parable. Matthew 20:1-16 compares the Kingdom of Heaven to an owner of an estate who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. He promised them each a denarius (a penny) which was the standard day’s wage at the time. He continued hiring laborers throughout the day promising to pay them “whatever is right.” He does this at the third, sixth and ninth hour. Even as late as the eleventh hour he’s still hiring. The eleventh hour translates to five o’clock, which is really at or close to the end of the work day. In fact, the Bible tells us these people worked no more than an hour. But here’s the strange part. When it came time to pay the workers the owner paid them all one denarius each, even those who started working at five o’clock! As you can imagine, this didn’t sit well with those who started work at the crack of dawn, and they voiced their complaints. We’ve been working all day in the hot sun, they whined, and this is what we get? Surely we deserve more! The King James says they complained because the owner had made these late comers “equal” to them.

And how does the owner answer? “Friend, I am doing you no injustice. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? I choose to give to this man hired last the same as I give to you . . . Am I not permitted to do what I choose with what is mine?” 

At first glance this seems unfair. After all, why should someone who has worked hard all day be paid the same as someone who has barely worked an hour? But we’re talking about the Kingdom of Heaven here not a worldly kingdom, and the rules for the heavenly kingdom rarely match those found in this earthly realm.

So what to make of it? First we must consider the times of day mention in this parable. The third, the sixth and the ninth hour are all significant. It was the third hour when, according to Mark 15:25 “they crucified” Jesus. Mark goes on to tell us in verse 33 that “when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.” And it was at the ninth hour that “Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.” So we see that the entire scenario in this parable of the estate owner is a reminder that it’s only because of what happened during the hours of Jesus’ crucifixion that God, the owner of the heavenly estate, is able to call us into His vineyard at all. Had the crucifixion not taken place we would forever be relegated to the outside of the vineyard, never able to come in.

But what of the eleventh hour? The time the last batch of workers began their job? That’s five o’clock. As I’ve stated before, numbers have meanings, and here the number five is the number for grace. That alone speaks volumes. Grace equalizes everything. It is only by grace that we can enter God’s vineyard. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9” And it is only by God’s grace that we can labor for God at all. So grace is the message here. We enter God’s vineyard, His Kingdom, by grace and we labor in it by grace.

But something else struck me, too. It is the fact that those who came last into the vineyard were equal to those who came first. This is good news for all us sinners, especially those who are closer to the end of their lives rather than the beginning. It tells us that no matter how late in life we come to the Lord we are still valued, and in fact, equal, to those who have labored all their lives for Him. In other words a poor homeless drunk who comes to the Lord on his/her deathbed is just as valued by God as someone like Billy Graham. Now that’s remarkable! Keep in mind I’m not talking about crowns here. Yes, each of us will get different “crowns” based on what we’ve done in our life but equality as a child of God though acceptance of Jesus, that we all have.

Once again we see the heart of God, His goodness, His desire to bring us all into His “vineyard,” and the esteem in which He holds each of us. Amazing isn’t it!

Until next time,

Sylvia

So this lawyer goes up to Jesus to test Him and asks in Luke 10:25-37, “What am I to do to inherit everlasting life? Didn’t a rich young ruler just ask that? So why was this lawyer covering old ground? In the King James it says he did this to “tempt” Jesus. That word is nomikos in the Greek and means to test thoroughly. But it also means to scrutinize, entice and discipline. Was the lawyer seeking to discipline Jesus by showing Him up, by finding some flaw in His answer? Who’s to say, but lawyers do have a way of complicating things and I suspect this one was no different.

Jesus patiently asks His own question by saying, what does the law say? To which the lawyer answers, we must love God with all our heart, soul and strength and love our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus gives him an A, “You have answered correctly.”

Ah, now the lawyer had Him. “And who is my neighbor?” In response, Jesus tells him the story of the good Samaritan, the one who didn’t pass by, like the priest and Levite had, that poor robbed and beaten man laying alongside the road. Instead, the Samaritan tended the man’s wounds, carried him off to a hotel and promised the manager he’d pay the hotel and food bill during this man’s recuperation when he swung by on his return trip.

It’s interesting that a Samaritan is the hero in this story and not the priest or Levite, both highly esteemed in Jewish culture. And Samaritans were not even considered Jews at all, but were actually despised for their mix-breed lineage as well as held in contempt for their slip-shod religious practices. After all, they didn’t worship in Jerusalem like true Jews.

So what are we to make of this? For one thing, we must understand how seriously Jesus takes the manner in which we treat others. And because it’s important to Him it must be important to us. And all our religious façade doesn’t cut it or serve as a replacement. King James says the lawyer sought the definition of “neighbor” because he wanted to “justify” himself. The Amplified says it was because “he was determined to acquit himself of reproach.” In other words the lawyer knew he hadn’t been living up to the implied standard of the law and so was trying to wiggle out of it on a technicality.

Ouch! I can relate because I have trouble with this one. Time always seems to be the enemy and I’m often conflicted about where to spend my precious hours. Some are easy answers. Of course God comes first which means time spent with Him comes first. Then come family and friends. Next, the job God has given me to do. That doesn’t seem to leave much time for my “neighbors,” not quality time, anyway. A few “hellos” and “how are yous” are, for the most part, about all I seem to manage. But now Jesus is saying I am to love my neighbor as myself! Of course family and friends are all part of that “neighborhood” but they are not all of it and I tend to forget that. Knowing Jesus is a fair and good and just God, I can trust Him not to put more on my plate than I can chew. So I don’t think He means for me to go running around like a chicken without a head trying to fill every need on planet earth. But I do think He means for me to care, really care, about the people He has placed in my life, and that could mean that lonely elderly woman down the street as well as some poor wounded person along the side of the road should I encounter one. The trick is to be open to these opportunities and rely on God’s grace to lead us through them and not care about the time at all.

It’s something I’m still working on.

Until next time,

Sylvia

It was during the Feast of Dedication or Hanukkah as we know it today, that Jesus was strolling in “Solomon’s Porch in the Temple area” when he was surrounded by a throng of people all peppering Him with the same question. Don’t keep us in suspense, they said, but tell us plainly if you are the Messiah (John 10:22-26 Amplified).  How weary Jesus must have been of their doubt and unbelief! But still He indulged them and answered, “I have told you so (that I am the Messiah) yet you do not believe Me. The very works that I do by the power of My Father and in My Father’s name bear witness concerning Me. They are my credentials and evidence in support of Me.” But did that satisfy? No because that generation was fixated on signs. And no matter how many signs or proofs Jesus gave they still wanted one more. Always one more. But there comes a time when viewing the evidence is over and then comes the time of decision; a time to either believe—it’s called “faith,” or not.

Nothing changes. Today, people still want proof. History isn’t enough. The Bible isn’t enough. Changed lives aren’t enough. Miracles of healing aren’t enough. And there’s plenty to be seen if one cares to look. But the truth is that many people don’t want to look. They don’t want to see. Because seeing is believing and that means accountability. If one believes Jesus is really who He says He is then one must choose to either live their life in accordance with His word or to continue doing their own thing, placing them in firm opposition to Christ. The choice is simple, really. And when one chooses to walk away from Jesus it’s because they fail to really realize that life is so short. Their momentary pleasures are just that—momentary. All too soon the years pass and we are left staring into the face of eternity. And that all important decision we made to pursue pleasure and our own self interest or not will determine our destination for all eternity. It is a weighty matter, one that should not be made on whim or because sin gives pleasure for a season (Hebrews 11:25 KJV). For in light of eternity, that season is but a blink of the eye and then what?

Something to think about.

Until next time,

Sylvia

I’m pausing my “following Jesus’ footsteps” series to repost this for Thanksgiving. It’s during this time of year that most of us take inventory of all the things we have to be grateful for: freedom, family, friends, a roof over our heads, clothes, food, health, a job. The list is endless. God has been good to us. We are a blessed nation. And most of us God lovers are greatly blessed individually, as well. But what would happen if we lost one of the above? Would we still be grateful? Still have an attitude of gratitude? Still believe we had the favor of God?

“Americans don’t know how to do poor.” That’s what one Peruvian woman I’m acquainted with said who grew up in a 10 x10 dirt floor house with eight other siblings. I think for the most part she’s right. I’ve spent a good deal of time listening to people who have traveled to places where entire populations had little freedom, clothing, food, shelter, or health. We take so much for granted. And we Christians in the U.S. often take God for granted, too. We equate prosperity with our reward from God, our due. If we do all the “right” things, then God will bless us. But what if the blessings should stop? Does that mean God no longer favors us?

It’s true that sometimes God’s judgment comes in the form of hardship, depravation, suffering. What’s not true is that hardship, depravation and suffering always means God’s judgment. Sometimes God allows hard times to come our way even when we are doing everything “right”. Why? Because He loves us. Because He wants to forge our character, to train us, to bring us into a deeper place with Him. Think back. Wasn’t it during those tough times that you learned the most? Grew the most as a person?

Some of us are facing tough times now. Many others will probably face them before too long. A portion of these problems might be self inflicted. If they are we can learn from them as well. But others are inflicted upon us. No matter the cause, we can learn and grow. And if we have an attitude of gratitude, if we trust God to see us through, we can end up on the other side better than when we began.

As we near the end of a difficult year and look forward to an uncertain future, let us keep our eyes on the Lord, the One who is our refuge and strength in times of trouble. And let us be certain to count our blessings and maintain that all important attitude of gratitude.

“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.” Colossians 3:15

Wishing everyone a very blessed and Happy Thanksgiving.

Until next time,

Sylvia

I’m sure the Apostle Peter thought he was being really generous when in Matthew 18:21-22 (Amplified) he asked Jesus, “Lord, how many times may my brother sin against me and I forgive him and let it go? As many as seven times?” Jesus responded with, “I tell you, not up to seven times, but seventy times seven!” I bet Jesus’ answer made Peter grit his teeth. He never figured on that number. Let’s see, 70 x 7 = 490. That’s a lot of forgiveness!

I’m sure it makes many of us grit our teeth, too, because it sounds so overwhelming. But at least there’s an end to it and when we keep our spread sheet and tally all the times someone offended us and they finally reach number 491 we can cross them off our list, right? And say, “That’s it Bub, no more forgiveness for you.” No. It’s worse than that. Remember numbers in the Bible have meaning, and the number seven, which appears nearly 500 times in scripture, is symbolic of completion or wholeness as well as a complete cycle. So what Jesus was saying wasn’t that once your adversary hits the 491^st mark, you no longer have to forgive, rather it is the completion of one cycle and the beginning of another. In other words, forgiveness is endless. We can never stop forgiving others.  

God takes forgiveness seriously. In the Lord ’s Prayer, Jesus said “forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” Note the word “as” which carries a condition. If we don’t forgive others God won’t forgive us. Indeed, Jesus confirms this in Matthew 6:14-15, “if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Jesus, in Matthew 18:21-35, again illustrates this message in the parable of the “wicked servant,” who wouldn’t forgive his fellow servants so his master wouldn’t forgive him. Luke 6:37b also confirms it, “forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.”

It’s clear that forgiveness must be part of our walk with the Lord, a big part. Without it we can close ourselves off to God and His forgiveness. It’s not worth holding on to a grudge or offense. In reality, the only one we hurt is ourselves. Usually the offending person has no clue how we feel and goes along his/her merry way, while we are left stewing in bitterness and anger, which by the way does a whole lot to mess us up physically.

On the other hand, if someone is mentally, physically or sexually abusive, God does not mean for us to continue letting that person get away with it. If necessary we need to remove ourselves from that dangerous environment but when we do, we leave forgiving the offender. It’s not impossible when we realize forgiveness doesn’t imply that what that person did was OK. It simply means we let go of our right to revenge, anger, bitterness, etc, and place that person in God’s hands, for His judgment. But in addition to forgiveness we need to pray for that person. Forgiveness combined with prayer often produces the most amazing results because it leaves God free to be God and to accomplish His purpose not only in our life but in the life of the offender.  

Until next time,

Sylvia

Jesus is a constant contradiction. His words and actions continually reveal that God’s ways are not our ways. In fact they are higher. Much higher (Isaiah 55:9). So here, in Luke 10: 21 (Amplified) Jesus once again throws us a curve. “Thank you Father, Lord of heaven and earth that You have concealed these things (relating to salvation) from the wise and understanding and learned, and revealed them to babes (the childish, unskilled, and untaught).” What exactly are we to make of this?

Well, first there are three different kinds of wisdom: 1) Godly wisdom 2) worldly wisdom and 3) demonic wisdom. The Bible tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10) so we can assume that Jesus wasn’t talking about those with Godly wisdom. James 3:15-17 tells us that there is a wisdom that “descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish . . . but the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, etc.” According to James, the earthly, devilish wisdom is characterized by bitterness, envy, and strife, and creates confusion and evil works, and is also hypocritical.

I can think of no better example of this than our early fathers establishing public schools in order to teach their children to read the Bible. And now, in most schools, a teacher can’t even mention the Bible and must teach the very flawed “theory of evolution” but is not allowed to discuss “creationism.” This is worldly wisdom and demonic wisdom combined that is not only hypocritical but creates confusion and strife.

1 Corinthians 8:1 tells us that, “knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.” That word “puffeth” is phusioo in Greek and means to inflate, make proud. Without the Lord, without His charity, His love to enlighten us, our knowledge can make us proud and conceited. And when we become conceited we think we know it all. We think we know more than God. We become too sophisticated to believe the simple gospel message. And that’s just what Jesus was talking about. So many of the learned men of His day, the Pharisees, thought they knew it all, too; actually thought they knew more than Jesus. Their conceit made them unable to accept Jesus’ message, and their envy made them want to kill Him. After all, Jesus was an irritant that contradicted their philosophy and life style.

Nothing changes. Those who are “puffed” up, who are impressed with their own knowledge and intellect, generally are not open to the gospel. The conceited do not have a teachable spirit, but lack humility and are looking to impress others. They know it all and want everyone else to know that they know it all. On the other hand, children and the simple are generally more open to instruction. Surely that’s why Jesus said if we want to enter the kingdom of God we must become like “little children.”

So does all this puffed-up, conceited wisdom get us anything at all? Yes. Romans 1:21-22 spells it out. “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imagination, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.” So what it gets us is that we actually become fools in God’s eyes.

This is a cautionary tale for us all. It’s so easy to become indoctrinated with worldly wisdom and even demonic wisdom. Just look at our movies and TV programs. Things that would have shocked our mothers no longer shock us. We have grown up, we have become sophisticated and wise. But God says, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise. I will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?”

So, in reality, it’s unwise to become “wise” in our own eyes. Much better to become as little children and gain God’s kingdom.

Until next time,

Sylvia