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After the triumph of Easter morning, after the joyous celebration of your resurrection Jesus, it is Monday morning, the start of another week. Back to the work week, back into the world. This morning I feel like i am being thrown into the lions’ den. This morning I hear rustling in the tall grass — Satan on the prowl looking for someone to devour, devious eyes watching me (1 Peter 5:8). The reality of the world waits. I am being tossed into the lions’ den. I think of the king’s words in Daniel 6:16, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”
Lord Jesus help us this day as we go out into a hostile world. Help us to focus on you, not the prowling lions with their hungry look. Let us reach out to you for strength and courage, trusting in you and not our own ability to defend ourselves. Help us to wait on you to close the mouths of the lions.
May we be found righteous in your eyes dear Lord and in the sight of others. At the end of the day may Daniel 6:22 be the words we share with those who ask: “My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.”
© 2019 CGThelen
Editor’s note: This post originally published March 31, 2018.
After Jesus died on the cross and was buried, before Jesus rose from the dead, the disciples were hiding out of fear they might meet the same fate. All they knew was that Jesus was gone. They had yet to experience his resurrection. This was a period of fear and doubt, the time between Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
To live without salvation through Christ is to be caught between Good Friday and Easter morning. It is an eternal darkness without the hope offered by the resurrection of Christ. It is a place of constant night with only the fading light of a man-made lamp to illuminate the way. It is a state of hopelessness without any chance of salvation from sin. Yet because of God’s love for us we do not have to remain trapped between Good Friday and Easter.
Salvation is ours through faith in Christ. This Easter embrace the hope of the resurrection. Leave behind doubt and disbelief and run with Peter to see the strips of linen lying in the empty tomb (Luke 24:12). Share the joy of the women who saw the risen Lord and ran to tell the disciples (Matt. 28:8). 1 Peter 1:8-9 tells us, “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls (NIV).”
My prayer is that the dawn of this Easter morning will dissipate the darkness of night with the radiant light of the risen Lord. May we express the joy of our salvation with the proclamation, “He has risen!”
© 2018 CGThelen
A constant connection with God
A life aligned with His will
Selfish ambitions cease
Harmonizing my life with God
No longer out of tune
Shedding the burdens
God lightens the load
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (NIV).”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:16
© 2019 CGThelen
In 2 Chronicles 1, after the death of David, Solomon “established himself firmly over his kingdom (verse 1, NIV).” That evening, after making sacrifices to the Lord, God appears to Solomon and asks him: “Ask for whatever you want me to give you (verse 5-7).” This is the ultimate test of someone’s heart.
Stop and think for a moment. If someone with the ability to give you anything you wanted asked you what you wanted what would you say? Pose that question to anyone on the street and how many would say they want wisdom and knowledge? How many would request the things God lists in verse 11: “wealth, possessions or honor… death of your enemies.” These are the desires of the flesh, selfish desires.
But Solomon, humbled by the task before him, asks for “wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours (verse 10).” God said to Solomon in the next verse, “Since this is your heart’s desire.” Solomon didn’t just want wisdom and knowledge for himself, but to faithfully perform the task that God laid before him.
When God gives you a difficult task that overwhelms you, a task you feel ill-equipped to handle, how do you respond? Do you seek the counsel of this world and follow your own desires or do you seek wisdom and knowledge from God? Is your heart’s desire to faithfully perform the task he has given you, humbly admitting you feel ill-equipped without his guidance? May you continue to seek the wisdom of God in prayer and His word — in honor and praise of our Lord.
© 2019 CGThelen
Over the years I have read Luke 9:10-17 and heard many sermons about this passage where Jesus feeds a massive crowd with 5,000 men and likely more. But this morning as I read this passage again a phrase in verse 17 made an impression on me: “They all ate and were satisfied (NIV).”
In the beginning of this chapter, Jesus “called the twelve together (verse 1)” and “sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick (verse 2).” He instructed them to “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town (verse 3-4).” Essentially Jesus told them God would provide for their needs.
In verse 10 Luke wrote that the apostles returned and “reported to Jesus what they had done.” Then they withdrew to Bethsaida, but the crowds followed so Jesus “spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing (verse 11). At that point it was late so the twelve told Jesus, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here (verse 12).”
Remember these are the same twelve that Jesus sent off at the beginning of this chapter and told them to bring no food with them and not to worry about lodging. The same twelve that he empowered to “drive out all demons and to cure diseases (verse 1).” But now they simply wanted to send the crowd away. Which leads me to believe is why Jesus responded, “You give them something to eat (verse 13).” All the twelve could see was the five loaves and two fish in front of them.
Jesus proceeded to show the apostles that God would provide all their needs. In verse 16 he took the loaves and fishes and “gave thanks and broke them.” Then he had the disciples distribute them to the thousands in the crowd. Imagine how the apostles felt as they handed out the food and there was enough for everyone — the same apostles who wanted to send the crowd away; the same apostles who Jesus empowered to do miracles. They saw that, “They all ate and were satisfied (verse 17).”
How often do we doubt God’s ability to provide all our needs? Is our tendency to send the crowd away, to send away those God puts in our life because we don’t see how God can provide at that moment? Do we tend to want to handle things on our own, packing a large suitcase of our own provisions instead of relying on God? Jesus continued to teach his apostles to rely on God, to have faith that God will take care of their needs. Jesus continues to teach us the same thing today: “They all ate and were satisfied (verse 17).”
“Jesus told his disciples, ‘If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith.’” — Luke 12:28
© 2019 CGThelen
Praying to God for healing is a difficult thing for me. It is a wrestling match between my will and the will of God. It is a deep yearning to lay down my desires for God’s desires. Yet my emotions tell me I want people I love to be whole, to not suffer. It hit me again this week when I found out a coworker who retired last year has terminal cancer and a year to live.
This struggle of wills reminds me of Hezekiah in 2 Kings 20:1-6. After he became ill, the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz said to him, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover (verse 1, NIV).” These are words we do not want to hear from the doctor: “Your cancer is terminal.” They are words I have heard about a loved one: “He will not make it through the night.”
Hezekiah turned away from Isaiah in his bed and faced the wall. He prayed to God, “Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes (verse 3).” I can feel Hezekiah’s grief as he wept bitterly. I have found myself reciting a similar prayer when devoted followers of Christ I know have died; when friends contract terminal cancer. “Lord, these are people who have followed you; righteous people dedicated to serving you. Why?” In prayer I plead as Hezekiah did, “Lord, these people have walked faithfully with you; they are devoted to you.”
God heard Hezekiah’s plea, his prayer. In verse 4-5 he tells the prophet Isaiah to go back and tell him, “This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you.” God heard Hezekiah’s prayer and he hears our prayers. Yet it is a matter of God’s will, his plan, whether he heals. God added 15 years to Hezekiah’s life, but not just because of Hezekiah’s will or his righteous acts. “And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.”
God chose to heal Hezekiah for his purposes; for his sake and for the sake of his servant David. God chose to continue to use Hezekiah. It seems I always want what I want and I don’t understand why God does what he does. But that is the element of faith in him. Part of the process of opening up to God in prayer is to also open up our heart to God; to share with him the deep desires of our heart and to know he hears our prayers. The answer to our prayers, our pleas, is to rest in God’s will for our life and the lives of those we dearly love in this world.
© 2019 CGThelen
How do people know I am really who I say I am? When I enter another country customs asks for my passport. When I check into a hotel in another state the front desk asks for my driver’s license. My passport and driver’s license show my citizenship. But how do people know we are citizens of the Kingdom of God?
In Phillipians 3:20 Paul wrote, “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ (NIV).” Paul encouraged the followers of Jesus to follow his example of living out their faith in Christ Jesus. In 3:17 he said, “Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do.” A Christian’s identification is their identity in Christ Jesus, a life lived for Christ.
Paul cautioned the Phillipians about an identity in this world. “Their destiny is destruction,” Paul wrote. “Their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.” An identity invested in things of this world is an identity invested in temporary things that will pass away. How we live our life reflects our identity.
At times I am overwhelmed by God’s love and grace — that he offers us citizenship in his kingdom through his son Jesus. In Luke 6:25-26, Jesus called us to “love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked (NIV).” As citizens of the Kingdom of God, as people whose identity is in Christ, Jesus called us to, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful (Luke 6:26b).”
© 2019 CGThelen
I quickly darted into the house unannounced as the downpour started. Inside I found a man sitting on the floor in a large, vacant room looking up at the ceiling.
“I’m sorry,” I said to him. “I just needed to get out of he rain.”
The man acted like he didn’t hear me. He just continued to stare at the ceiling. I took a step closer to him. That’s when I noticed water dripping onto his face. I looked up at the ceiling and saw water seeping through some of the tiles in the ceiling.
“You oughta fix that roof,” I told the man. “And why are you sitting under the dripping water?”
“It was repaired,” he replied with a smile as water trickled on his face. “But I kinda like it like that.”
I shook my head not understanding the appeal. “But why?”
“Well the other day a man stopped by and helped repair the hole. But honestly he wasn’t very good at patching roofs.”
“So why did you let him patch it?”
“Well, the man said he felt responsible.”
“Responsible?”
“Yeah, the other day that guy everyone is talking about, Jesus, was in town in this very house.”
“Jesus was here?”
“Yeah, the place was packed. So this group of guys made a hole in the roof and lowered a paralyzed man down on a mat in front of Jesus.”
“So the guy who did the repair was one of the guys who tore the hole in the roof?”
“No, it was the paralyzed guy who repaired the roof,” the man replied.
“Wait a minute, are you saying the paralyzed man fixed the roof?”
“Yeah, Jesus healed him. He came back because he felt bad about the hole in the roof.”
“Jesus actually healed him?”
“It was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen,” the man said as he stared at me intensely. “I was there. I watched them lower this helpless man on a mat down from the roof. I watched Jesus heal him. I watched the man pick up his mat and walk away. Then a few days later I watched him climb a ladder and fix the roof.”
“So it’s true?” I asked. “He was healed?”
“It’s true,” he replied as he looked up at the ceiling again. “It’s true.”
I watched him sitting under the leaky roof as water dripped on his face. He smiled again as he said, “You know what’s even more amazing?”
“No,” I replied.
“Jesus said his sins were forgiven before he healed him.”
I stood a moment and watched the water dripping on his head and streaming down his face. It was hard to tell if he was crying.
#WednesdayWalk Through the Bible — an exploration of what unknown people might have seen or felt when they witnessed the events in the Bible. This post is from the perspective of someone who witnessed Jesus healing the paralyzed man in Luke 5:17-26.
© 2019, CGThelen
In Luke 3:1-14 John is in the “country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (verse 3).” Luke noted that this was is in accordance with what was written in the book of Isaiah. But it is not just repentance that John preached to the people. In verse 8 he said, “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”
Our repentance isn’t just an act of verbalizing our faith in Jesus. John warns in verse 9, “every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” In the next verse the people listening to John ask what they should do and he proceeds to tell them how to live out their repentance. He tells them to share with those who have none. He tells tax collectors not to cheat and soldiers not to exhort money, “to be content with their pay (verse 14).”
We are messengers for Christ Jesus, preparing the way for the Lord in what often seems like a wilderness of unbelief. Yet it is our faith lived out in patient hope that prepares hearts to receive Christ. Our repentance lived out causes us to not cheat others; to be generous with what we have; to be content with what God gives us. This is the straight, clear path of a changed life that stands out in the twisted jungle of a corrupt world.
We need to stay vigilant and not let the overgrowth of discouragement creep in and overtake our path to Christ. We need to focus on making a way for Christ to work in the lives of those around us. We can point the way to Jesus so that the Spirit of God can transform lives. As John said, “But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire (verse 16).”
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. – Philippians 1:9-11
© 2019 CGThelen
“Not another delay,” I thought as I sat at the airport gate waiting for my plane. Just a week ago my plane was delayed two hours and now on my return trip it was happening again. As I stuck my nose in a book to pass the time, I sighed and tried not to get stressed about it, thinking that maybe God had a purpose for it
By the time I finally boarded the plane, I wondered if perhaps God would place me next to someone he wanted me to talk to. Maybe the delay was so someone could board the plane? But as it turned out I had a row of seats to myself. I settled in the window seat, just glad we were finally ready to take off and forgot about God’s purpose for the delay.
A few hours later we made our final approach to land. As we descended I had the perfect vantage point, to see a magnificent golden sunset break through the clouds (picture below). At that moment it hit me that if the plane wasn’t delayed, I would’ve missed that amazing sunset. The timing as well as my window seat were perfect for me to experience a sunset in the clouds.
I praised God for that moment and for the beauty of his creation. It was as if he was telling me, “See how beautiful my timing is?” So often I get caught up in my agenda and my time frame that I lose sight of the potential God has in store for me for the day. I get annoyed by delays or things that interfere with my plans instead of looking for God at work in my day. I thank God that he patiently teaches us to follow his way.
“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” – Proverbs 19:21 (NIV)
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. My you trust in his plans for you this day; may you see him at work today.” -Romans 15:13
© 2019 CGThelen
