317 - "We Hold The Proverbial Key" Acts 11-13

                                                      

"And the Hand of the Lord was with them and a great number believed." Acts 11:21.

 

The persecution of the church, the harm hurled through threats and brutality---it was meant to destroy and kill the followers.  But this.  The very first preachers of Good News.  Dispersed.  All because of persecution.  What others mean for harm still works for good then and now.

 

And the work of conversion works on all of us, then and now.

 

And the hand of the Lord---God showed them His Favor.  Manifest in Miracles.  

Hearts changed forever.

"Not only his Hand of Providence, which brought them thither, and protected them; and his Hand of love, grace and mercy, which was upon them, and supplied them with gifts and grace, and everything necessary for them; and his Hand of wisdom, which guided and directed them; but his Hand of power, the same with the Arm of the Lord, which when revealed, and made bare, the report of the Gospel is believed."  John Gibbs had no idea how how the story would end in the hands of Herod.  Jailed.  Abandoned.  Bolted.  Then.  An unlocked door.  A free get-out-of-jail pass.  Peter came to himself and said: "Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me." Acts 12:11 Some days in your life there will be no hope of getting out of a circumstance---it has already happened for some of you.  Those moments.  When we can hardly believe.  May we see You, God, standing there to rescue us.  We always hold a proverbial key.

PHOTO: A Spot I pass in Dallas just about every other weekend these years. I know there is a proverbial key in the grass. 

316 - "Who Are You, Lord?" Acts 9-10

                               

SAUL...murderer no more
Acts 9:17 The Master sent Ananias to Saul so that he could see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.  With the help of the Spirit, Saul begins preaching uninhibited in the Master's Name---so much so that the Jews and Hellenists wanted to kill him.   He went from a voice of crime to a voice of compassion.  Wonder what he thought about, what images were imprinted on is mind?

AENEAS...crippled no more
Peter healed this paralyzed man.  All those in town saw the miracle and woke up to the fact that "God was alive and active among them."

TABITHA...dead no more
Tabitha was well-known for doing good and helping out.  She became sick and died.  Peter knelt beside her lifeless body and prayed.  Tabitha sat up straight from the dead.  I'll be in Joppa on Thursday.  I weep as I think about seeing the spot.  

CORNELIUS...separated no more
Acts 10:33 God puts things together like Cornelius meeting Peter.  "And now we're all here in God's presence, ready to listen to whatever the Master put in your heart to tell us."  That's where I am this very day.  Given a trip to Israel and here we are in God's very Presence.  Whether we are in Israel or Indiana, would you dear God please make us ready to listen?  Acts 10:35 "It makes no difference who you are or where you're from—if you want God and are ready to do as he says, the door is open." 

Seeing the face of Christ dazzled Paul to the things of Another Country. It took his eyes off of this world and what he was doing to make this world work. Dazzled by the Holy One. Blinded and offered eternal hope. And Paul cooperated to the fullest extent with the One Who held his hand. Acts 9:9

Every one of us has to answer the question:  "Who are you, Lord?" Acts 9:5
Such a wonder that Saul found Him.
Such a wonder that we find Him today.
God can draw aside the blindness.
God did for me. And He has for you.
"Who was brought to Christ's feet with those words?" M. Henry
I'm praying we all will.

PHOTO:  There is Something about a person's face that thrills the soul. Seeing this face for the first time shook my world.  

315 - "Jesus Starts Appearing From the Other Side---Inside of Them" Acts 7-8

                                       

Acts 8:1 "And Saul approved of Stephen's execution."
Great persecution among the church in Jerusalem.
Disciples scatter.
And Samaria believes and receives the Word of God!
These disciples were not afraid to preach the Word. hears an angel giving him a direction to go.  Not so much as a detailed plan of what to do.  But, to go!  And he does.  Acts 8:26

When Jesus was with the disciples, they had a hard time following directions.  For example, Thomas---I will not believe until I see His nail-scarred hands.  No direction taken.
The disciples moved in fear.  When asked a question, Peter cowered and said he never even knew Jesus. But here's, a courageous Philip asking if a court official understands what he is reading.  May I jump in your chariot? Philip opens his mouth and tells the good news!  And the eunuch wants to be baptized! Acts 8:30

Then the Spirit carries Philip away! That's most unusual and scary to me. Not so, though.  Philip finds himself in Azotus and starts preaching! Acts 8:40

This story amazes me.  Jesus had been with most of these guys for 30 years.  One day, He is gone.  A grave is empty.  And no one sees Him up in the air.  They are grieving over the loss and He starts appearing from the Other Side---the inside of them.  He now lives inside. And look what is happening in these men that didn't happen when He was physically present.   And!  He still lives today, inside me and you if we invite Him in!  Am I listening for the stirring of the Spirit of God in me?  What is so of God this day that I know I can't explain it any other way?  May I jump in your chariot?

PHOTO:  A dark day in Florida when the heavens opened up. Whatever darkness we face, may our first words be a prayer. 

314 - "If God Is The Author of This Religion" Acts 4-6

If.

If this is from God. 

If. 

Then you won't be able to stand. 

"If God is the 'Author' of this religion...

From this it seems that Gamaliel supposed that it was at least possible that this religion was divine. He evinced a far more candid mind than did the rest of the Jews; but still it does not appear that he was entirely convinced." John Gibbs

How could a witness to a Resurrection not stagger our life?

How could a lame man of 40 years walking into the Sanctuary not bewilder us with wonder? 

How could an angel unlocking a cell to free the apparent innocent not shock unlocked?

The Almighty is Here. 

PHOTO:  No one can raise a sun, a body, the crippled, the broken. Only Him. 
A Resurrection. A Healing. A Breakthrough. Only explained in terms of God. God, have mercy on this child. Ezri, may God find space in your heart for Him. Ezri, may you live with inconceivable inner Strength from God! May you live in Wonder! You are off to the best start you could have ever had, thanks to your Mom and all those who have surrounded you these first years.

313 - "A Fool Shows Annoyance At Once" Acts 1-3

I'll admit it up front. 

I'll apologize for a lifetime of this fault. 

I'll own this one.

"Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult." Proverbs 12:16

Even this day, I have several insults getting to my goat.  I wonder why.  Why can't I let them go?  By His Power.  Drive out the foolishness.  Build in that wisdom.  Overlook the insults.  This isn't about behavior modification.  This is about a change of my heart to the way that I look on what is happening to me---most of it has to do with losing money or being denied money.  Help us, God to see "for me to live is Christ" and not the solution of my financial problems. 

You will receive power. Acts 1:8

It is a specific energy only from God. 

For time and eternity. 

We are made new in strength. It's what I need to draw on in my annoyance.

 

"This energy would be given in such times and seasons, and in such measures, as should appear best to the infinite wisdom of God." John Gill

It is Enough in this life that God has spoken to me through His Word. 

It is Enough in this life that God has given to me the strength to live what He has brought my way. I would not have made it otherwise. 

It is Enough in this life that God has given me power to be His Witness. "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority." Acts 1:7 Then and Now. We are to live what is before us. When trifling about how life has left me lonely and empty, Look to the Northern Sky. He is coming Again. 

PHOTO:  I had to share my photo on this post cause I am way too easily annoyed by anything and everything, especially if it has to do with demeaning me or proving me wrong or distancing me or dealing with my pocketbook.  Oh dear me!  

312 - “Do You Really Love Me?” John 19-21

John does not mince his words about the Crucifixion of Jesus. He offers such detail. John 19. In a world where people try to protect Jesus, promote Jesus, this disciple tells the true story with no holding back.

The Disciple that Jesus loved.  John is the first to recognize the Risen Christ on the Sea of Galilee.  He saw the miracle of multiplying fish where these skilled fishermen had worked all night with nothing to show.  Until.  Christ moves into the picture.  John 21:12 "Come and have breakfast."  An invitation.  Early Morn.  And the disciples ventured not to question Him.  And this Christ asks the probing question:  "Do you love Me?"  Three times.  One for each betrayal.  And we all see our hearts in Peter.  Yes, LORD!

Do You Love Me?
May I be more consumed with how I break His Heart than how I break the rules.

311 - “Jesus Prayed For Me Today” John 17-18

  

Jesus prayed for the disciples that they may be made holy. Sanctifying Grace. And that Sanctifying Grace comes through Truth, the Word. May Your Hand go with all of us. A living faith. A working faith. And if the way we think about life has no sanctifying grace effect on us, there is no Divine truth Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. Oh God, let us receive this living faith, this Divine sanctifying workNot for these only do I pray, but for those also who believe in me through their word,  that they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that you sent me. John 17:20

PHOTO/ My heart has fallen into this ocean so many times. My God is always accomplishing what concerns me. 

310 - •Loved to the Uttermost” John 13-16

 

He loves us to the uttermost, the Greek says. To the end! John 13:1. To the ends of the earth.  To the end of anything we face.  So, do not let your heart be troubled.  

How do we then live without troubled hearts. There is no "do-able" life.  "I think about living a full life meaning: more do-able, like going to church, working hard, being good, praying, reading the Bible every day, trusting God for blessing." 66LL. But God defines real life so differently.  Even if our suffering gets worse, we can live a life of love.  Stand up!  Do what it takes to advance His Kingdom. Live a life of love because you are loved to the uttermost.  You are in an opportunity for Christ to do His Work in you, your family, your kids, your friends, your co-workers.  Be fully present.  Meanwhile... The point is t.h.i.s. Christ goes to prepare a place for you and for me. Think on heaven, love on earth.

H.e.r.e. Christ leaves us with Another Helper, John 14:6

Why does the next worship service have to be better than the one before?  Why does the next song need to be more powerful than the last?  Why are we always trying to outdo ourselves?  Jesus wrapped a coarse everyday towel around his waist.  He dipped His Hands in a worn porcelain water basin and poured water. John 13:5. He spit in the dirt to stir up some mud to spread on a blind man.  He didn't use the spectacular.  He used the ordinary to reach, to touch, to give life. May I not be caught up in thinking I have to have the next best book or song or experience.  Seek Truth not the blessings of this life.

309 - "Like Lazarus, Awaken My Soul" John 11-12

Is there ever a prayer that is unanswered. No. God answers all of them---it's just that maybe the answer we hoped for; or it is not the one we receive;the timing we require is revealed to be our will not His. In John 11:41 ~ Jesus lifts up his eyes and says, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me. Lazarus had been dead for 4 days. Did anyone really believe that God would bring him back to life? If we ask, He will answer. Don't be silent. Please be near to me. 

Psalm 35:22 Please hear my voice as I cry for mercy. Psalm 31:22 Just like Lazarus, awaken my soul to see life again. Just like Lazarus, send people my way to unbind what I cannot. Thank you, God, for the invitation to pray without ceasing. 

PHOTO: Eatonville, Washington. The street where the Morgans and Brandons once lived.

308 - "Go To The Place With Mud on Your Face" John 9-10

Whether we can see or not, believe for the sake of His Glory. John 9:30 "Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes." Since the world began, no one has ever even heard of anyone who can open blind eyes. So, why is it that we don't believe God? 

As Christ passed by the very people who despised Him, he healed one of their neighbors. Lifted a burden off the community who took care of this blind helpless man for 3 decades. In transitu, as he passed by. May we live to love as we pass by. Blind men and sighted. Never stop doing them good, even if treated invisible. With common elements of mud and saliva. He used what He had. The very thing the Pharisees had a fit over---how the eyes of the blind man were opened. You would have thought they would have thrown him an all-town parade. Instead the Pharisees threw him out! No longer blind. No beggar job; no family support; no community behind him. But, because he went to the pool of Siloam, he was healed. May we go to places we are called to go with mud on our faces.

PHOTO: Free Bible images. 

307 - "No Delays in God's Provision" John 6-8

                                                            

Philip, "Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?" John 6:5

Philip knows where to buy bread in his hometown and he knows that they could come up with 200 denarii but it wouldn't buy enough bread.  200 Denarri!!!!  One denarii is a day's wage. 200!!!!  That's six months of daily wages. What disciple had that kind of wealth?  In today's economy, at minimum wage, six months of working every single day would net almost $12,000.  And that still wouldn't be enough to feed them a full meal.  

And where could Philip find that much barley bread and fish in Bethsaida?  The town was emptied----they were all there.  There were 15,000, maybe 20,000 hungry people sitting there.  It would take 15,000 pounds of bread and fish to feed that many.  And how long would that take to serve 20,000 people?  Have you ever tried to serve 500 people at a reception real fast?  20,000!!!!  

This is a major miracle before their eyes.  Not only does Christ have the power to deliver the food instantaneously (each disciple taking one second to feed the 20,000----you can make it through no more than 3,000 per hour and probably collapse right there staring at another 17,000 hungry people),  but there are 12 baskets left over. No delays with God's Hand, God's Power. 

You know, some of those 20,000 people are poverty-stricken and don't eat that well.  Yet, they weren't grabbing for more.  They were satisfied.  This is a parable of Abundance.  

Do I know His Power to supply all of my needs and so much more?  Am I trusting Him for more?  He is stirring up faith in our hearts. He will fulfill every desire we have to do what's right.  Those desires aren't coming from the enemy of your soul.  May you press into and lean hard on the Christ, this day, our Abundant Provider and His Infinite Resources for whatever need you hold in your heart!  

Whatever you face this day, there are 5 barley loaves and 2 fish waiting.  At the lowest point of my life, a friend said to me when I cried out to him for help:  "Five Loaves & Two Fish."  Somehow, at that moment, I knew a little bit more than the moment before, that God was going to show up in my despair.  And He did...with so much more than I could have ever imagined!

306 - "Waiting 38 Years...Arise & Walk to The Temple" John 4-5

     

The sun will rise this morning

on the sick, the blind, the lame.

On all of us withered in our souls.

Will we rise and walk?

38 years is a very long time not to be well. By our sinful nature, we are all--- 

Sick. Blind. Lame. Withered in our souls. And. 

Cured by this Christ. All.  

I cannot fathom this crippled man, waiting & hoping it will happen to him

for almost four decades of his life.  Did he just live by the pool?

And look at his response to Jesus' question: "Do you wish to get well?" 

He believed it would happen if just someone were there to help him. 

No relative. No friend. No passer-by. No Good Samaritan.

For 38 years. 13,870 days.  

God kept this man; kept account of his every day.  

Yet, the hurting man's response is not a demeaning one. 

Humbly spoken: "I have no man to put me in…" John 5:7. 

"Arise and walk."

And the lame man walked straight to the temple

even though he did not know who this Healer was.

When our good friends do not respond to our well wishes; when our family stiff arms us in distance; when our community passes us by unnoticed; let us pick up our pallet, rise up and walk, and go to the temple. For that's where you'll find cured, healed, whole souls. The temple. They go to Jesus so that they may have life. They search the Scriptures to find Jesus not to worship the Word, not to worship the temple. John 5:39-40. "Come to Me, so that you may have life."  Arise and walk.

PRAYER FROM PSALMS
Psalm 105:4 - Father, we seek You LORD and Your Strength. We seek Your Presence continually!

305 - "Grace Upon Grace Upon Grace" John 1-3

The Word that became flesh and blood moved into John's life in John 1:14. God-begotten. John saw the glory with his own eyes. This is the One, says the thunder in the desert...Make the road straight for God! John 1:23.

By the way that I act today, will I share that I care more about God?  Today, God sent someone to me who spoke like a messenger from God.  An affirmation beyond words.  All these things that we think are so important in our day---how important are they in light of eternity?  Trying to wrap thoughts around the Philistines take on such holy things.  We cannot treat lightly the things of God and be able to rest. 

We open the book of John. John presents a Glory that "though dimly visible now" will one day fill the earth.  Everything was created through Him!  "The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness (John 1:5)."   And John pointed the way for those who will believe. God will make you your true selves begotten of God.  John 1:13. Most people are living to make themselves a better version of who they are. God is making us our true self.

In the world you now inhabit, communion wth Me is not defined by an experience of Me.  Nor does it depend on blessings from Me. To really live is to release My Son's life through yours, in any circumstance, no matter what you feel, to relate as He related, giving when no one gives back, loving when no one returns love, forgiving when no one deserves forgiveness, suffering in the place of those who should suffer."  66 LL

"Don't look at your inability.  Look at My Son's ability." 66 LL

John presents a Glory that "though dimly visible now" will one day fill the earth.  Everything was created through Him!  "The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness (John 1:5)."   And God sent a man named John to point out a way to the Life-Light.  

"We all live off His Generous Bounty, Gift after Gift after Gift (John 1:16)."  Grace Upon Grace. 

"Come, see for yourself (John 1:46)."

PHOTO:  Ezri Joy. Blood moved into your life. Inhabit the earth and become your true self. You are. You will. 

304 - “Be Killing Sin or It Will Be Killing You” Luke 23-24

                             

The Thief on the Cross gave pause: "Have you no fear of God? You're getting the same as him. We deserve this, but not him—he did nothing to deserve this. (Luke 23:40)"  We all deserve death for if we are guilty of one sin, guilty of all.  

"Those who have the knowledge of Christ crucified, should seek to spread that knowledge. Our Lord Jesus reproved them for the weakness of their faith in the Scriptures of the Old Testament. Did we know more of the Divine counsels as far as they are made known in the Scriptures, we should not be subject to the perplexities we often entangle ourselves in."  Perplexities of Life. Luke 24:14. They engaged each other to know Him more. And where two are gathered, here He comes. 

Because of the Resurrection, it changed everything.  In Luke 24:45-49, God shares:  Jesus opened their uderstanding of the Word of God, showing them how to read their Bibles this way.  He said, "You can see now how it is written that the Messiah suffers, rises from the dead on the third day, and then a total life-change through the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in his name to all nations---starting from here, from Jerusalem!"

Praise God that He made provision for our sins.  In John Owen's book Overcoming Sin and Temptation,  Owen writes:  "Be acquainted then, with your own heart:  though it be deep, search it; though it be dark, inquire into it; though it give all its distempers other names that what are their due, believe it not.  Don't justify your own particular sin, but seek to recognize it so that you might fight against it with all your strength.  Christians are called to wage war against this enemy, knowing that there are only two points:  Be killing sin or it will be killing you."  John Owen.  "The only hope John Owen can promise in his book comes not through further self-examination but by embracing the Love and Provision of God."  Open our eyes this day to see your Wild Love and Undeserving Provision.

As we close the pages of Dr. Luke's book, what stirs in your heart?

PHOTO: Living 33,000 feet above the earth doesn't work. Why can't I live real?

303 - "The Word is my Oxygen" Luke 21-22

Fearless Courage to both of you! You have already shown it. May you live it fully.

One Day, the heavens and earth will pass away.  

White-hot stars will melt to a crisp, 

the stunning shimmering sun will melt forever. 

And it will happen in a blink. 

Another lovely generation of generations passes away.  

But, the Word of God will never ever pass away. Luke 21:32. 

We hold this Word in our hearts this day and forever more.  

It's the One Thing my anchor holds within the veil.  

This Word is my oxygen; 

the hammer that breaks the rock hard pieces of my soul; the snow that melts my heart;                            my very next breath. The Living Word. 

 

So, how do we stand before that? 

Go to Him now. Today. Move into Him. 

The One Who will ask all the right questions of us. 

Live the Word of God every day. Deut 32:45 - these words are our very life.

PHOTO:  Zeke & Ezri at Bristol's 4th birthday party in KC.  They really really liked each other at 6 & 7.         

Fearless Courage is my prayer for you both.  

302 - "A Sighting of Christ" Luke 19-20

                                                        

"Zacchaeuus, Today is my day to be. guest in your home." John 19:5-6.

"Those who sincerely desire a sight of Christ, like Zaccheus, will break through opposition, and take pains to see him." Oh my! That's it.  Do I really want a sight of Him?  Let's move through these barricades of distance and deceit and displeasure and discontent---such depravity. I'm surrounded by this opposition on too many sides but God knows.  He understands my frame.  He is passing by and looking to fill hearts that are empty.  Fills us with Good.  But we have to come down from our high places where we dwell.  So, come down, Zaccheus and you and me.  Come down.  

And let's see what is in our own hearts.  Luke 20:4 - Jesus asks:  The baptism of John, is it from heaven or of man?  Why do you look to revelation to excuse your behavior.  Sidetracked.  The scribes and Pharisees want to find the loopholes of life rather than deal with the sight of Him and how that changes our hearts.  

Oh! For a sight of You.  In this weary world of ours, let us find the wonder, the awe, the Ever-Present Savior.  Help us to come down.  Press in.  Stay long.  Fill us up, O God!

PHOTO:  A beautiful normal day. Today. The guest is knocking on our door. 

                  

301 - "We Are Living in End Times" Luke 17-18

                                                          

Luke 18 opens with an importunate widow grappling for favor with an unjust Judge.  And it ends with a poor blind man grasping for sight with an ever-present Savior.  

The Kingdom is present in both. 

Luke 17:22 is the context written to all who live in end times. That's us. And His Spirit is in you and me.  It's a "Kingdom set up in our hearts by the power of Divine Grace."  Planted in our hearts forever.  For, He is coming back and will find sinners on the earth waiting for Him.  The wicked will move on to their destiny according to Luke 17.  I studied Latin in high school.  One of the first words that you learned in the study of Latin was the verb porto, which means to carry, and the noun porta, which means a door or a gate. Importunate prayer means  persistent prayer, urgent prayer, annoyingly urgent. 

As we wait for His coming, we ought always pray. Luke 18:1

We beg you to hear our cries and answer us today.  For Your Kingdom is set up in our hearts and we cannot even comprehend nor convey our wonder and awe in rightful amounts.  Hear these humble words of ours carried to you, annoyingly but importunate, for Your Ear is kind and loving.  And we need You so.

PHOTO: The suns set tonite in ATX on some rough patches in my life.  Things I don't understand.  Words escape.  Divine Grace abounds.  Come Lord Jesus. 

 

300 - "Can the Younger Prodigal and Older Son Grow in Me to Maturity of the Father" Luke 14-16

                                                    

When you are invited to a wedding feast, do not sit in a place of honor. Humble yourself. We live in such a celebrity society. People long to be associated with high success. Drop that name. Squeeze into that friend circle. Believe that you have to have that friendship, that opportunity, that ministry, in order to feel good about your world. He who humbles himself will be exalted. Luke 14:11. Free grace is always yours for the taking. Abundant mercy is ready to be delivered. "All found pretence to put off their attendance." M. Henry. Just put in your application while you put off the pretence and put on the attendance. Show up today. All in. Full force. Psalm 3:3. He is the Lifter of your head.

And Seek Peace. Peace on earth? Luke 14:51. Peace in your heart. I read tonight the book, "Peace Child." A beautiful story of courageous couples who moved thousands of miles away empty-handed with fists unclenched. Just to make friends with the Sawi Nation who held fast to treachery as an ideal. Matthew Henry said: "It is our interest to seek peace with God, and we need not send to ask the conditions of peace. They are offered to us, and are highly to our advantage." Seek Peace.

I've thought a whole lot this year about the story of the Prodigal Son.  In his book about the prodigal, Henri Nouwen writes:  "Can I let the younger and older son grow in me to the maturity of the compassionate father?"  The father is who I must become, he writes.  As the father deals with his own anger and loneliness, his anger turns to solitude and his loneliness turns to gratitude.  I am that younger and older brother.  Frustration.  Anger.  Pain.   Can you grow both of my sides into a compassion that moves into the lives of others in the midst of my own mess?

PHOTO: Standing on this shore. So many things wrong in my life. Didn't think I would end up here. Even today, a harrowing experience. But we need not put any conditions on the peace. He gives. And He gives good.

299 -“The Great Reversal—-from Strangers to Grace” Luke 12-13

 

Luke 12:2   "You can't keep your true self hidden forever; before long you'll be EXPOSED. You can't hide behind a religious mask forever; sooner or later the mask will slip and your true face will be known. You can't whisper one thing in private and preach the opposite in public..."

Luke 12:5  Save your FEAR for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in his hands. 

Luke 12:15. Life is not DEFINED by what you have, even when you have a lot." 

Luke 12:22 "Don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or if the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your inner life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer APPEARANCE than the clothes you hang on your body.

Luke 12:29  "What I'm trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so PREOCCUPIED with getting so you can respond to God's giving. ...Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. ...

Luke 12:53 Do you think I came to smooth things over and make everything nice? Not so. I've come to DISRUPT and CONFRONT! 

PHOTO: A little bird landed on the cross just as I clicked the camera of this little country church that I passed a thousand times in my life in Fort Worth. Used to live smack dab across the street from this little country church. It's a Beautiful God Who has done an incredible work in my heart as I remember the thoughts I had when I would pass this little country church. And those thoughts are no more.

298 -“Only One Thing Necessary” Luke 10-11

 Choices. Martha was anxious and troubled about more than one thing. Jesus told her: "Only One Thing is Necessary." Mary chose the good portion. So, what's the good portion? If this is just about making good choices, we can "work" on our salvation but that's called works righteousness. The choices must come from a good portion, a good place in our hearts. It's about making choices for His Glory not mine, His Goals not my comfort. our LORD reveals our motivations in our choices---the intentions of our hearts---and thus, even choices may look really good, but are we controlled by the Love of our Christ. I may choose to say a good word to you this day and sin horribly in the midst. Man looks on the outward appearances; God looks into our hearts. Only One Thing Necessary. As long as we have breath, we may choose to do what's right and the piercing of our soul will be found out. Choose this day the God you serve or you choose another god. Only One Thing is Necessary.

PHOTO: Bob and Bev at Fred‘s graduation from the university of Texas. Circa 2014. We both tried with all of our heart to instill on you, the values of the most necessary thing in life. 

297 - “The Finger of God” Luke 8-9

 

A crowd.  A hurry.
A ruler.  A worry.
A woman. A scurry.
A daughter.  A bury.
It's a Beautiful Word from Jesus offering to heal this girl, this woman, this crowd.
"The hand of Christ's grace goes with the calls of His Word, to make them effectual. Let us not complain of a crowd, and a throng, and a hurry, as long as we are in the way of our duty, and doing good."  Matthew Henry. 
Fear Not.  Only Believe.  Luke 8:50

And the woman saw that she was no longer hidden in the crowd.  Luke 8:47
When we are no longer hidden.
May we come in faith, trembling. 

Oh! The compassion of this Christ raising sons of widows and daughters of rulers;
finding women hidden in a crowd.
Let the trembling be felt. 
The word has come.

Life presses in on us this day.  Pictures of friends who've grown distant.  Hearing of success of others not our own.  Knowing of healing happening around us, not in us.  Oh Father, let us not complain of the crowd, let us live to do good today.  Always.

PHOTO:  Who touched me?  No longer hidden.  And the trembling began.  And this trembling is felt all over the earth.  Such faith. 

296 - “Are You The One?” Luke 6, 7

  

Are you the One?  An odd question for one of the top ten prophets of all time to ask? It so shows the human side of all of us. John sits in prison pondering the scenario---why am I at this place in my story? Luke sets the stage: The story of the famous Gentile centurion over 100; the poor widow of Nain holding a lifeless child; and now John the Baptist's perplexing question as he sits in jail.  Luke nails it:  So what will be my response to Jesus, and why should we respond to him? At this point Luke zeroes in on the real question. This section's dominant theme is faith. It's all about the presence of faith or doubt in the Presence of God. And Jesus doesn't reply "yes."  He replies:  "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me."  Luke 7:20-23. Jesus really didn’t answer John’s question. 

PHOTO: Are you the One for these 5 grandkids? 

295 - “Put Your Nets In Deep Water

 

Professional fishermen---yes they were.

They knew how to fish.

Grace ~ It fell from Him. Still falls on our hearts. 

So, put your nets out into deep water, says the Carpenter, not a Fisherman. Luke 5:4.  It's a miracle.  

These seasoned fishermen know how to fish.  Only God could have pulled this one off.  And grace falls in one of those daily moments where they spend hundreds of hours earning their way.  We never know when a Divine Visit, Words of Grace, will fall on us at work. 

So what's the insight here?  Christ tells Peter to apply himself to this secular calling of his.  Don't waste you r work.  Time spent there is never a hindrance, it's holy.  When we have been with God, true joy will result in our work.  "We must not abruptly quit our callings because we have not the success in them we desire." Own ourselves as sinful men, redeemed.  Don't view your work as a vehicle to prepare for ministry.  Work is your ministry.

PHOTO: Lake Travis. Spent almost 2 decades in Austin. Such an unusual time full of deep hurt and much joy. They live juxtapose to each other, you know.

294 - “Seeing the Power of God in Afflction” Matthew 17; Mark 9

      

Matthew 17:14-15 And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before Jesus, said, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly."  What anguish of soul for a Dad to watch his son t.o.r.m.e.n.t.e.d. physically by demons. LORD, will you do anything?  Jesus replies in 17:21: With a tiny grain of faith, say to your mountain: 'Move Forward,' and it will move!  Nothing will be impossible for you.  

The disciples just didn't get "it," did they?  (17:20) - 'You're not yet taking God seriously," said Jesus. "The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, you would tell this mountain, 'Move!' and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn't be able to tackle." 

What circumstances riddle my soul this day?  Will faith be found among us?  The Kingdom is near!  I can wrestle with a Good God just like these disciples wrestled to find faith.  "I can live to give and not to grasp.  I can bring a taste of heaven to earth."  66 LL. 
A Son of Adam, bothered by Satan, not only spiritually (like us all) but also physically.  Followers of Christ, not able to do anything about it.  Do the things of God rest on our hearts with deep conviction? What am I truly convinced of? The Truth will set you free.  How can the Truth, which we know not from conviction, be instrumental in our own hands of becoming faith in others?  Help us all, dear LORD, to deal with our own stuff.  By our tiny faith, we will draw out from others the people God intended for them to be.  What am I drawing out of those closest to me?

PHOTO:  The mountains of the Northwest. Majestic. Move mountain!  father in Matthew 17:14-15 sees the power of God in his affliction. And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before Jesus, said, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly."  What anguish of soul for a Dad to watch his son t.o.r.m.e.n.t.e.d. physically by demons. LORD, will you do anything?  Jesus replies in 17:21: With a tiny grain of faith, say to your mountain: 'Move Forward,' and it will move!  Nothing will be impossible for you.  

The disciples just didn't get "it," did they?  (17:20) - 'You're not yet taking God seriously," said Jesus. "The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, you would tell this mountain, 'Move!' and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn't be able to tackle." 

What circumstances riddle my soul this day?  Will faith be found among us?  The Kingdom is near!  I can wrestle with a Good God just like these disciples wrestled to find faith.  "I can live to give and not to grasp.  I can bring a taste of heaven to earth."  66 LL. 

A Son of Adam, bothered by Satan, not only spiritually (like us all) but also physically.  Followers of Christ, not able to do anything about it.  Do the things of God rest on our hearts with deep conviction? What am I truly convinced of? How can the Truth be instrumental in our own hands of becoming faith in others? By our tiny faith, we will draw out from others the people God intended for them to be. 

293 - “God Stoops & Steps into History” Luke 1

                                                             

This is not just a genealogy of famous men. There are some names, we know too well for their impropriety, their immortality, their idolatry.  The descendant of Abraham, of David, well---He saved the whole human race. Every single one of us has been living in darkness. Luke 1 is a place where God the Son stooped and stepped into history to save us from ourselves.  

Mary treasured up all that had happened and weighed it in her heart. Luke 2:19 How do I weigh my present circumstances?  For the Glory of God?  It was Angels who were the heralds of her newborn Son, a newborn Saviour.  Found smack dab in the midst of their honest calling, industrious shepherds, who were where they were supposed to be keeping watch over their flock.  "We are not out of the way of Divine visits, when we are employed in an honest calling, and abide with God in it." So, lead that honest, humble life and let God have the honor of your life and its work.  Here comes Peace in this lower world of ours.  Peace is Here.  Fully ponder.  

PHOTO:  The sun on my perspicacious face and the moon on my unknown back.  You never know when God will show up and make our paths straighter. 

291 “The Implanted Word Saves You” Mark 12-14

 

THE IMPLANTED WORD SAVES ME
Jesus kept on telling stories.  Why?  Scripture interprets Scripture.  Phil 1:21 - it's the implanted Word that saves you. God, would you keep planting these stories in our hearts?

RUBBING HANDS TOGETHER IN GREED.
Mark 12:7 -8   "Those farmhands saw their chance. They rubbed their hands together in greed and said, 'This is the heir! Let's kill him and have it all for ourselves.' They grabbed the son, killed him, and threw him over the fence."  Unbelievable.  I feel that people are doing that to me. But this is about me not them---am I throwing people under the bus, over the fence in my thoughts?  The crowd wanted to lynch Jesus then and there but held back.  They knew the story was about them (12:12) and they got out of there as fast as they could.  

YOU DON'T KNOW YOUR BIBLE.
Mark 12:18 Some Sadducees, the party that den

289 - “Move Me Forward” Mark 8-9

 

4,000 people did not want to leave the presence of Christ and His teaching.  They stayed for three days.  Starving.  Staying.  So taken with the Goodness of God.  No bakery could handle 4,000+ customers.  Christ could.  "I do believe.  Help my unbelief."  Mark 9:24.  And help me never to leave Your Presence, O God.

One miracle after another.  Their lives.  Our lives.  How can we not stay?  Why do we not cry out if we have little insight from our incidents?

Jesus heals the blind man in an unconventional way.  Spit.  “Do you see anything?”  And the blind man replies:  “I see men, for I see them like trees, walking around.” Mark 8:24.  Christ could have completely healed him the first time.  What's the goal here?  Holiness.  Where in my life do I see men like trees walking around?  Just like Christ moved the blind man forward, move me, O God.  Move me forward!

288 - “His Heart Breaks For You” Mark 6-7

 WHAT DO I REALLY NEED TO MINISTER?  Mark 6: 8 -9"Don't think you need a lot of extra equipment for ministry. You are the equipment. No special appeals for funds. Keep it simple. 

WHAT IS MY RESPONSE WHEN I AM OVERLOOKED? Mark 6:11  "If you're not welcomed, not listened to, quietly withdraw. Don't make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way."  C. S. Lewis' 8th chapter of Mere Christianity was the teacher's lesson plan yesterday...the real test of pride in my life is my response when friends and family don't listen to us and push us away---when we are rejected.  God so showed up for me in that chapter yesterday in the midst of being overlooked this week.  

WHAT HOPE DO I HAVE TO MINISTER IN MY OWN MESS?  Mark 6: 12 -13 With joyful urgency, the fledgling disciples sent the demons packing and brought wellness.  I love it!  Gives me hope in my own mess that I can send a few demons on their way!

DO PEOPLE WANT MORE OF HIM BECAUSE OF ME?  Mark 6:20 Something in John kept pulling Herod back to Jesus. 

DO YOU KNOW THAT HIS HEART BREAKS FOR YOU?  Mark 6:34 - At the sight of them, his heart broke—like sheep with no shepherd they were. He went right to work teaching them.  6:38---five loaves and two fish.  6:50---take Courage...it's Me...don't be afraid in midst of your storms.  HE knows our frame and His Heart breaks for us as we wrestle through storms and needs.  

IS YOUR HEART IN THE RIGHT PLACE?  Then rejoice today no matter how hard you may fall or how much you don't know what your next step is---it's not fatal.  Mark 7:7  "These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their heart isn't in it...it's what comes out of a person that pollutes: obscenities, lusts, thefts, murders, adulteries, greed, depravity, deceptive dealings, carousing, mean looks, slander, arrogance, foolishness."  Make your heart right with your God this moment---that's all you have anyway---this moment.

287 - “The Time Has Come” Mark 4-5

 

The. Time. Has. Come.

The last words of the prophet Malachi still ring 400 years later. Malachi alluded that "the day is coming that shall set them ablaze;" the Sun of Righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. Here He is saying:
Don't let the world rule your life. "The worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. Mark 4:19. Instead, "hear the Word and accept it." Mark 4:20.

"Keep On Believing" no matter what you see. Mark 5:36. No matter if your world jumps in front of you when you're standing in line to talk to Jesus. No matter if your dreams die before you when Jesus is promising to move on your behalf. No matter if people give up on you and Jesus does not deal with them. No matter what, keep on believing.

The Sun of Righteousness has come to dispel the darkness, scatter the gloom, wipe off the oppression, take care of the injustice. He. Has. Come. and that changes everything. And we need to change our mind about everything. The Light of the World is here.

May we, your servants, hold You dear. Have compassion on us. 
For you will build us up. Appear in Your Glory, O God."

286 - “Mixing personal comfort with Spiritual Reality” Mark 1-3

 Mark 1:1 "Make ready the way of the LORD."  God prepares the way for Christ to enter our world and our hearts.  He has been stirring us for a long time.  Stirring us even this day.  He will baptize us with the Holy Spirit.  "If You are willing, You can make me clean."  Mark 1:40  Clean --- on the outside and inside.  

The young follower Mark came from a home of wealth.  He "mixed personal comfort with spiritual reality."  66LL.  Mark even aborted his ministry trip with Paul and Barnabas and sailed back to Jerusalem alone (Acts 13:1-13).  A failure--but make no mistake, failure never stops God's Plan.  The more we see Christ, the more we see our own hearts and whether we are willing to suffer loss for Him.  

Kingdom Living is serving not entitlement nor comfort; it is denying self and enduring suffering; it is living with hope here and now, real joy.  Kingdom Life is now.  Just like Mark finished well fighting his entitlement to the blessing of this life, may we too keep on believing in the dark, in the silence, even in the blessings.  

285 - “Unuttered Questions and Fears”

 

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you... Matthew 28:5-7. 

This Risen Christ. 

A hope & joy to his followers. 

A confusion & terror to his enemies. 

"We do not read of any words as spoken by the women, but the words which they now heard were an answer to their unuttered questionings and fears."

I hold unuttered questions, unspeakable fears. And I don't have to verbalized anything to this Risen Christ Who is no longer here. He knows. 

Just live for the world where He went. 

PHOTO: Full Moon over all our unuttered longings. 

284 - "Watch Every Dream Go Down In Dust and Yearn to Be Involved in Kingdom Living" Matthew 25-26

Matthew 25:21- "You have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much.  Enter into the joy of your Master."

Matthew 25:25 - "So, I was afraid..."  The servant did nothing with what he was entrusted. The Redeemer had given him just a little.  The servant should have, at least, invested the one talent given to him by the One who owned him.  Do I live afraid to take the risk with the investment of what God has given to me?   The Parable of the Talents does not imply that by improving our talents, our abilities, our resources, we are then entitled to Divine Grace. We are all called to be servants of our Redeemer promoting ourselves---No!---promoting His Glory. There's a Grander Story here than just our story. We are constrained by the Love of Christ, controlled by His Love, to live no longer for ourselves. Am I willing to take a risk to invest in Eternity? These words come to mind again this week:

"Faith as I'm growing to understand it more, is about looking beyond my circumstances to a person. To have faith in better circumstances, even in God creating better circumstances, is not true faith. I want to be the kind of man who can watch every dream go down in flames and still yearn to be intimately involved in kingdom living, intimately involved with my Friend the King, and still be willing to take another risk just because it delights Him for me to do so. And my flesh shivers to think about it."    Shattered Dreams

PHOTO: 

283 - "What Circumstances Riddle My Soul?" Matthew 23-24

                                                                 

What circumstances riddle my soul this day?  Will faith be found among us?  The Kingdom is near!  I can wrestle with a Good God just like these disciples wrestled to find faith.  "I can live to give and not to grasp.  I can bring a taste of heaven to earth."  66 LL. Thy Kingdom come. Stay Awake. Be Vigilant. You have no idea when the Son of Man is going to show up. Matthew 24:30-31. The Arrival of the Son of Man will fill the skies---no one will miss that! Get Ready. his angels with a trumpet sound will pull in God's chosen from the four winds, from pole to pole. 

A Son of Adam, bothered by Satan, not only spiritually (like us all) but also physically.  Followers of Christ, not able to do anything about it.  Do the things of God rest on our hearts with deep conviction? What am I truly convinced of? How can the Truth be instrumental in our own hands of becoming faith in others? By our tiny faith, we will draw out from others the people God intended for them to be. 

PHOTO: A new sun. A new day. God arrives. And This Day may be the Day He fills the skies. Live like it is. 

282 - "The Messiah of My Dreams" Matthew 21-22

                              

Matthew 21:9 - "Hosanna to the Son of David!  Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord! Hosanna in the Highest!"  And when He entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, "Who is This?" The point is that a king would come riding upon a horse when he was bent on war; 

but he came riding upon an ass for he was coming in peace. 
This action of Jesus is a sign that He was not the warrior figure men dreamed of, 
but the Prince of Peace. No one saw it that way at that time, not even the disciples...
They were looking for the Messiah of their own dreams and their own wishful thinking.  William Barclay

Do I look this day for the Messiah of my own dreams, my own wishful thinking?  
Or do I embrace The Deliverer Who Has Come to Save Me and Set Me Free?

PHOTO:  The clouds 2,000 years later.

281 - "No Big People/ No Little People" Matthew 18-20

“Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”  Matthew 18:2.   I wonder if the disciples thought it would be one of them since they left it "all" for Him.  Left their jobs.  Left their families.  Left their children.  Surely!  Yet, they are still raw around the edges in ambition and selfishness and jealousy and the list goes on.  They ask for themselves, don't they?  For their confirmation of their own self worth.  What's the problem here?  What's the problem with me---for I deeply struggle with what others think of me and where I am in my life.  Would my life be validated if I was a flourishing bestseller author and speaker, like a Woman of Faith touring brigade.  Or, if I had one million friends on Twitter.  Or, if I had a church of 10,000 who loved my every bible study word. 

There are no degrees of greatness on earth.  We all wrestle with evil.  We aren't the example----Christ is.  So, why do I still struggle to be somebody?  It could be that my world shouts out to me that I have not arrived nor ever will.  Maybe, it's my own words that I say to myself.  Never the matter, it's not the question to ask.  There are no big people and little people in God's Economy, not in this life even though our world is set up as the bigs and the littles.  

So, what's the point here:  Humble yourself as a child.  Matthew 18:4.

280 - "Curved In On Ourselves" Matthew 15-17

                                                       

Matthew 15:18 - "But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander."   Incurvatus in se----Latin for "curved inward on oneself."  Romans 7: 18-19 - "For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing."  

       Augustine coined the phrase "curved in on itself."  
       Martin Luther expounded on the phrase by writing:  
       "Our nature, by the corruption of the first sin, 
       being so deeply curved in on itself 
       not only bends the best gifts of God towards itself & enjoys them 
       (as is plain in the works-righteous and hypocrites), 
       but rather even uses God Himself in order to attain these gifts, 
       and also fails to realize that it so wickedly, curvedly, and viciously 
       seeks all things, even God, for its own sake."

PHOTO: A bridge over troubled waters. Troubles happen to all of us. But it is our arrogance in our hearts that wreaks the most havoc. All because we are curved in on ourselves. Lose your life.

279 - "Five Loaves & Two Fish" Matthew 13-14

Are you listening, really listening?  Jesus told stories to their God-blessed ears and God-blessed eyes.  He repeated the question again and again---are you really listening.  Tell stories.  "Whenever someone has a ready heart, the insights and understandings flow freely" when Jesus told stories (13:12).  Shouldn't we?
Matthew 14

We're here to talk about God and what He's up to in our lives. Our experiences are not the means to find  God---they are the context in which we find God. 

It's the stories that nudge us to a welcome awakening. Matthew 13:13. 

It's my story that has provided the context of knowing God.

We see the rest of the story in this chapter.  John had called Herod's relationship with his sister-in-law what it truly was---adultery.  And it cost him his head.  I'm so "taken" with John in a dungeon and Jesus answering his question that the blind would see, the deaf hear, the lame walk.  But not you, John.  Life is so upside down than what I think at times.   When Jesus learned of his death, He slipped away but was so "taken" with the crowd that gathered that He not only spoke to them but also fed 5,000 from 5 loaves and 2 fish.  

How in the world will I ever find rest for my soul knowing I might be left in a dungeon waiting to be beheaded.  5 Loaves and 2 Fish.  Only God can change my weary worn soul.  Next, a storm comes up at sea....the disciples are panicked.  At 4:00am Jesus walks on water to His Followers.  Take Courage - 14:27.  Makes me think how God never sleeps, never slumbers to watch over us each night.  Only He can walk on water to make us stay alive, come alive.  5 Loaves and 2 Fish.  Would you make each of us a little more alive today than yesterday?

PHOTO: Rockport, Texas. Walking on the shore, thinking about God and how we can even come close to understanding an all-present, all-knowing God. 

278 - "The Unforced Rhythms of Grace" Matthew 12

The images of the Ninevites and the Queen of Sheba condemning Jesus' generation in Israel at the judgment would have horrified Jesus' hearers.  They didn't expect a Savior to come preaching with such harsh judgment.  And they thought they were religious. Thought they were okay---good enough.  Just because you think you know the truth and act on it doesn't mean that what you think and do is right.   Most people in Israel did not accept the introduction by John---the Light of the World Who had come.  Countries asked him to leave.  Israelites shrugged their shoulders.

Matthew 12: 41-42 ~ "The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. The Queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here."  Nineveh and the Queen both knew far less facts about Christ than Israel first-hand witnessing miracle after miracle.  Yet, they believed.

Even John himself, the one full of the Holy Spirit introducing our Savior replies in Matthew 11:4 “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?” John knew Jesus came to change people's hearts not fix their world.  Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see:  the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.”  John sat in a damp dismal dungeon knowing he had heard and embraced the Truth.  He would not be rescued.  He would be beheaded.  And he would die at rest knowing God and advancing His Kingdom.  

Am I disrupted by the story of John the Baptist and how he learned the unforced rhythms of Grace?  "I should be!  God prefers a flexible heart to an inflexible ritual (Matt 12:7)."  "This is war, and there is no neutral ground (Matt 12:30).  If you're not on my side, you're the enemy...Consider this---"There's nothing done or said that can't be forgiven (Matt 12:32)."  Take heart!  "It's your heart that gives meaning to your words (Matt 12:34)."

So what did John the Baptist know that I don't know in the midst of trials?

277 - "We Know The Rest of the Story" Matthew 10-11

John in the Book of Matthew in 11:3 is still asking - "Are you the One we've been expecting or are we still waiting?"  John asks the question from a dark damp dungeon---a prison cell for preaching truth.  But it's Jesus' reply knowing the rest of the story that grips me this day.  "Go to the prison and tell John:  The blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the wretched of the earth learn that God is on their side."  We know the rest of the story in Matt 14: 11-12...John's head would be carried on a platter at Herod's birthday party at the request of Herodian and her daughter.  John wasn't healed or saved from a horrendous death.  John knew something I don't know as he wrestled through Jesus leaving him from prison cell to prison cell.  Yet John was free.  When I lost one of my babies to miscarriage, Elisabeth Elliot wrote me the words of this passage. 

Are you burned out with what God is asking of you?  Are you worn out with your life, your family, your friends, your ministry?  Matt 11:28-30 - "Come to Me.  Get away with Me and you'll recover your life.  How do you get away with Jesus?  He will show you how to take a real rest.   "Walk with Me and work with Me---watch how I do it.  Learn the unforced rhythms of Grace.  I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.  Keep company with Me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."