Home Again

                                  

Thoughts from Philip Yancey....

"If Easter Sunday was the most exciting day of the disciples'  lives, for Jesus, it was probably the day of Ascension  [40 days later].

"He, the Creator, who had descended so far and given up so much, was now headed home. Like a soldier returning across the ocean from a long, bloody war. Like an astronaut shedding his spacesuit to gulp in the familiar atmosphere of earth. 

"Home at last.

"Jesus' prayer at the Last Supper with His disciples reveals something of this point of view: 'I have brought You glory on earth by completing the work You gave me to do,' Jesus prayed.

'And now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world began.'

Before the world began! Jesus, who was sitting in a stuffy room in Jerusalem, was letting His mind wander back to a time before the Milky Way and Andromeda. On an earthly night dark with fear and menace, Jesus was making preparations to return home, to assume the glory He had set aside."

  From, The Jesus I Never Knew, by  Philip Yancey, chapter 12.

 The God of power, He did ride

In His majestic robes of glory

Resolved to light; and so one day

He did descend, undressing all the way.

  -- George Herbert

God Doesn't LIke Shortcuts!

 

                                 God Doesn't Like Shortcuts!

I'm reading Exodus 13 this morning. Moses has won his challenge to Pharaoh, the plagues are over, the first Passover has been celebrated and God Is leading His people home -- to the land He determined to be their homeland and had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Then in verse 17 we read: God did not lead them through the land of the Philistines, although that was the most direct route from Egypt to the promised land. Instead, God led them along a route through the Red Sea wilderness.

Why not take the short, direct route? For one reason, He didn't feel the people were ready to do battle with the powerful Philistines. But God could have easily solved that issue.

The bigger reason was that He wanted to show His people something very important at the Red Sea. The way He directed them led them to a fearful, no-way-out corner that trapped them between the mountains on one side  and the Red Sea on the other. And they could watch the Egyptian army chasing after them with their chariots and horses, intent on bringing them back to Egypt! Where could they run?

But God had a way out - a miraculous event that changed their history forever!

And they were eye-witnesses!

He told Moses to raise his staff - and the Red Sea parted and let the people safely pass over. And they could even watch the Egyptian army being destroyed!

If they had taken the shorter, direct route, look at what they would have missed!

Obvious lessons in how He could then, and always, care for them in miraculous ways!

Our lives are like that. Often God doesn't lead us the quickest, most direct route to our spiritual destinations because He is showing us His power and teaching us about His ways as we go along........ lessons we need to learn...and that takes, in my case, a lot of time! 

And He doesn't take short cuts for that!

Another Prayer from Daniel

 

                               Another Prayer from Daniel

Another notable prayer in the Book of Daniel is in chapter 9.

He begins, as in the prayer in chapter 2, with a song of praise and adoration: "O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of love with all those who love Him and obey His commands..."

And then he confesses the great sins of his countrymen..."We have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and rebelled,, We have turned away from your commandments and laws. We have not listened to our servants, the prophets."

He doesn't make excuses or blame their circumstances for their faithlessness to their ever-faithful God.

He just admits their sin.

And his conclusion to his prayer?

Maybe the most audacious request in Scripture: "We do not make our request of You because we are righteous, but because of Your great mercy.  Lord, listen; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, do not delay."

Remember the gospel song -- 'Grace that is Greater than all our Sin' --? 

And the contemporary song, 'His Mercy is More' -- "Our sins they are many, but His mercy is more"!

That's what Daniel is counting on! And so am I!

Without His mercy there would be no forgiveness. Without His Grace there would be no hope.

Jesus' Best Day!

Jesus' Resurrection and appearance to His followers removed all doubt that He was truly the Messiah they had long-awaited! He only stayed around 40 days before ascending to His Father, always apparently appearing to believers -- not to Pilate (the governor of Judea who sentenced Jesus) --  not to Herod (the Roman ruler of Palestine) -- not to Emperor Tiberius -- but only to those who already believed in Him.

The period between the Resurrection and the Ascension was just an interlude....

From Philip Yancy's book "The Jesus I Never Knew" --

"If Easter Sunday was the most exciting day of the disciples' lives, for Jesus it was probably the Day of Ascension.

He, the Creator, who had descended so far and given up so much, was now heading home.

Like a soldier returning across the ocean from a long and bloody war... Like an astronaut, shedding his spacesuit to gulp the familiar atmosphere of earth... Home at last!

Jesus' prayer at the Last Supper reveals what He was feeling: 'I have brought You glory on earth by completing the work You gave Me to do. And now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world began.'

Before the world began!

Like an old man reminiscing -- no, like an ageless God reminiscing -- Jesus let His mind wonder back to a time  before the Milky Way and Andromeda.

On an earthly night dark with fear and menace, Jesus was making preparation to return home, to assume again the glory He had set aside."

                              His best, most exciting day!

Overlooking Offenses

  

                              Overlooking  Offenses

"A man's wisdom gives him patience. It is his glory to overlook an offense" (Proverbs 19:11).

I read once that the art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.

To overlook someone's offenses allows us to drop our defenses (in my case usually arrogant and self-righteous) and just humbly drop the burden and move on.

And we can choose to do that!

It gives us such luxurious freedom!

Remember 1 Corinthians 13: "(Love) is not easily angered; it keeps no record of wrongs..."

And "love covers a multitude of sins..."

Keep the big picture in mind -- small, petty offenses to us have nothing to do with the big picture! They are meaningless. Overlook them!

Prayer for today: "As You have been to me, loving Father, help me be to others today."